Educational Activities 

about the Upper Mississippi River

Grades 5–6

National Great Rivers Museum

P.O. Box 337

Alton, Illinois 62002

St. Paul District

Rock Island District

St. Louis District

www.OurMississippi.org
In September 2004, the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers (Corps) distributed the 

Final Integrated Feasibility Report and 

Programmatic Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Upper Mississippi 

River-Illinois Waterway System Navigation 

Feasibility Study.

The report described an integrated plan for 

modifi cations and operations changes to 

the Upper Mississippi River and the Illinois 

Waterway for navigation effi ciency and 

ecosystem restoration. It also discussed the 

programmatic actions and the associated 

benefi cial and adverse effects regarding 

navigation effi ciency and ecosystem 

restoration needs. 

To protect the known and unknown 

signifi cant historic properties affected 

by the implementation of the navigation 

improvements, several government 

agencies signed a Programmatic 

Memorandum of Agreement. The signers 

included the Corps; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service; Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, 

and Wisconsin Historic Preservation 

Offi cers; and the Advisory Council on 

Historic Preservation. It was decided that 

documenting the history and signifi cance 

of the Upper Mississippi River and the 

Illinois Waterway would address some of 

these possible effects.

As part of that effort, the Corps held 

the fi rst meeting of the Navigation and 

Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) 

Cultural Resources and Stewardship 

Mitigation Team in La Crosse, Wisconsin, 

in June 2006. A second meeting was held 

in Alton, Illinois, in April 2008. In August 

2009, the Corps contracted Formations 

of Portland, Oregon, to produce “Our 

Mississippi: Educational Activities about 

the Upper Mississippi River.” 

The production of the various drafts of 

the Teacher’s Activity Guide was 

coordinated with the NESP Cultural 

Resources and Stewardship Mitigation 

Team through three workshops held 

between December 14-18, 2009 at Alton, 

Illinois; Pleasant Valley, Iowa; and St. Paul, 

Minnesota. All comments and responses 

were considered in various draft reviews. 

This Teacher’s Activity Guide would not 

have been possible without the assistance 

and cooperation of many people. We would 

like to extend an earnest thank you to 

everyone who helped to develop this book, 

especially the workshop participants, draft 

reviewers, and content providers. 

We would like to personally thank the 

following individuals for their extensive 

support and invaluable contributions: 

Brad Walker, The Izaak Walton League 

of America; Jeff Janvrin, Wisconsin 

Department of Natural Resources; and Paul 

Rohde, Waterways Council Incorporated. 

Development Team

Thank you to the talented group of people 

with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 

their assistance: Kimberly Rea, Mindy Cory, 

Erin Hilligoss-Volkmann, Angie Smith, Ron 

Deiss, Mark Cornish, and Ken Barr. Also, 

thank you to the capable and clever design 

team led by Formations: Corrie Greening, 

Marie Naughton, and Karen Adams.

Background Information

Special Thanks to...
Table of Contents

Welcome to Our Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I

Educational Approach and National Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II

How to Use this Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Unit 1

1.0 Introduction to the Upper Mississippi River Watershed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

 Activity: Pre- and Post- Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Lesson 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

 Activity: Movers and Scrapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Lesson 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

 Activity: Create a Sediment Bottle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

 Upper Grade Level Activity Worksheet: Built from the Bottom Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Lesson 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs of the Water Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

 Activity: Create an Evaporation Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

 Upper Grade Level Activity: Consult the Expert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Lesson 1.4 One Trunk with Many Branches: Mapping the Mississippi River Watershed. . . . . . . . . . . . 43

 Activity 1: Tribute to the Mississippi River. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

 Activity 2: Mississippi River Basin Exploration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

 Upper Grade Level Activity: Change Over Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Bonus Activity: Go with Your Creative Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Unit 2

2.0 Introduction to Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

 Activity 1: Pre- and Post- Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

 Activity 2: Explore Your Ecosystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Lesson 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats of the Upper Mississippi River . . . . . 75

 Activity 1: Food Chain Checkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

 Activity 2: Raising Tadpoles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Lesson 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migration and the Mississippi River Flyway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

 Activity 1: Mississippi Flyway Classroom Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

 Activity 2: Birdwatching Field Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Lesson 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

 Activity 1: Virtual Car Wash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

 Activity 2: Phosphates in Your Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

 Upper Grade Level Activity: Writing Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Lesson 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species of the Upper Mississippi River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

 Activity 1: Who is Endangered? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

 Activity 2: Create a Wildlife Garden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Lesson 2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: How to Make a Positive Impact on Your Environment. . 122

 Activity 1: Read and Comprehend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

 Activity 2: Calculate Your Eco-Footprint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Unit 3

3.0 Introduction to Mississippi River History and Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

 Activity 1: Pre- and Post- Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

 Activity 2: My Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Lesson 3.1 Mississippi River’s Ancient Civilizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

 Activity: Express Yourself Through Poetry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Lesson 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration of the Mississippi River. . . . . . . . . . . . 159

 Activity: European Explorers and Traders: Which Way Did They Go? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Lesson 3.3 Louisiana Purchase: Gateway to the Western Frontier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

 Activity: Trek Like Lewis and Clark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Lesson 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement, Transportation, and Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

 Activity 1: Views of the Valley of the Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

 Activity 2: Get the Facts from the Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

 Activity 3: People on the Move: Trappers, Traders, Farmers, Sailors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Lesson 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

 Activity 1: Go Underground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

 Upper Grade Level Activity: Fact or Fiction? Writing Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Unit 4

4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

 Activity 1: Pre- and Post- Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

 Activity 2: Mississippi River Watershed Occupations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Lesson 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

 Activity 1: Row, Tow, or Pole Your Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

 Activity 2: Float Your Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Lesson 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers a New Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

 Activity 1: Create Your Own Steam Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

 Activity 2: Marking the Twain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Lesson 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods on the Upper Mississippi River . . 249

 Activity: Breaking News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Lesson 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams on the Upper Mississippi River . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

 Activity: Leveling the Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Lesson 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

 Activity: Plan a Virtual Trip on Inland Waterways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

 Upper Grade Level Activity 1: Chart Safe Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

 Upper Grade Level Activity 2: What Do the Numbers Tell Us? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Unit 5

5.0 Introduction to A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280

 Activity 1: Pre- and Post- Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

 Activity 2: Investigating Mississippi River Issues and Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Lesson 5.1 Sharing Our River: One River, Many Uses – Playing It Safe on the Mississippi . . . . . . . . 289

 Activity 1: Create a Water Safety Poster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

 Activity 2: Navigating the Rules of the Water “Road” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Lesson 5.2 Managing Our River for Everyone: Competing Views and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

 Activity 1: Town Devastated by a Flood – Let’s Rebuild! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

 Activity 2: Debating the River in a Town Hall Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Lesson 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

 Activity: Discussion Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

 Upper Grade Level Activity: Discussion Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

A1: Career Launch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

A2: Major Tributaries of the Mississippi River. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

A3: Bridge Crossings on the Upper Mississippi River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

A4: Mississippi River Watershed States Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

A5: Endangered Species by State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

A6: Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

A7: Education Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

A8: Planning Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334

A9: Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

A10: Image Credits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | Welcome to Our Mississippi | I

Welcome to 

Our Mississippi

Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

is pleased to present this balanced, 

comprehensive guidebook to help 

teachers inform future decision-makers 

about this important natural resource.

Our Mississippi has been years in the 

making. In 1986, Congress designated 

the Upper Mississippi River System as 

both a nationally signifi cant ecosystem 

and a nationally signifi cant navigation 

system. Since then, the Corps has 

worked with multiple groups and 

agencies to improve the economic and 

environmental sustainability of the river.

This guidebook is a result of several 

different programs and partnerships 

that included other federal agencies, 

fi ve states, and a wide variety 

of environmental, conservation, 

navigation, and industry groups to 

strike that ever-crucial balance of 

human and wildlife interests.

We embrace the Mississippi for 

different reasons and from different 

perspectives. It is a national resource 

shared for different purposes. The 

river is important to communities and 

individuals. We may have individual 

perspectives on the river, but successful 

management requires an integrated 

and collective effort.

Educational Approach

The main goal of Our Mississippi 

is to provide teachers with a mix 

of classroom, self-directed, and 

collaborative lessons and activities 

about the Upper Mississippi River 

that meet a wide range of national 

learning standards. They follow a 

multidisciplinary approach, weaving 

science, technology, and math with 

social science, language, and arts 

collaboratively to address complex, reallife resource management issues and 

multiple uses of the river. 

The lessons and activities chosen for 

the guidebook focus on concepts that 

can be investigated or demonstrated. 

Designed for grades 5 and 6, each unit 

includes activities or extension ideas for 

upper and lower grades as well.
II | Welcome to Our Mississippi | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

National Standards

The lessons and activities in Our Mississippi were 

developed based on the national educational standards 

recommended by the National Research Council (for 

science standards), International Society for Technology in 

Education, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 

National Council for the Social Studies, National Council 

of Teachers of English, and the Consortium of National 

Arts Education Associations. 

National and State Standards Correlations

The lessons and activities in this guide are based on 

national standards. For your convenience, we included a 

chart in Appendix 7 that correlates the national standards 

with the state standards for the fi ve states along the 

Upper Mississippi River: Illinois, 

Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and 

Wisconsin. 
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | Welcome to Our Mississippi | 1

This guidebook was designed to 

provide teachers with a complete, 

cross-curricular approach to a wide 

range of subjects relating to the Upper 

Mississippi River, including earth 

science, physical science, social science, 

language arts, fi ne arts, and math in fi ve 

interrelated units organized by subject 

area. Although each lesson can be used 

by itself as a stand-alone piece, the 

strength of this guidebook lies in the 

sequential manner in which the lessons 

and activities build on and complement 

one another. 

Unit 1: Upper Mississippi River 

Watershed 

The fi rst unit presents a broad overview of the 

vast drainage basin of the Mississippi River, 

preparing students for an in-depth examination 

of the Upper Mississippi River by fi rst placing 

it in the spatial context of its entire watershed. 

It introduces students to the river’s geography, 

earth science, and physical science using a 

large wall map of the entire watershed that 

will serve as the conceptual thread that runs 

through all the units.

Unit 2: Upper Mississippi River 

Ecosystems 

The second unit builds on the broad overview 

of the entire watershed to focus on the Upper 

Mississippi River itself. This unit explores the 

river’s ecosystems and the life that depends 

on it through life science. Students investigate 

what a healthy river system is, how the river’s 

health is measured and monitored, and what 

happens to the river—as well as people, plants, 

and animals—if the river is not healthy. 

Unit 3: Upper Mississippi River History 

and Culture 

The skills and knowledge learned in the fi rst 

two units serve as the background information 

needed to examine human history, migration, 

and settlement through social science, 

language arts, and fi ne arts. The human history 

of the Upper Mississippi River is explored from 

the context of family or community traditions.

Unit 4: The Mississippi River at Work

This unit focuses on the river as a vital lifeline 

for human commerce. It uses the knowledge 

and skills presented in previous units to explore 

how humans rely on the river. Having learned 

how people used the river for transportation 

and trade in the past, students compare and 

contrast those uses with how people use the 

river today, including recreation and tourism.

Unit 5: A Shared Resource – 

Our Mississippi River

The knowledge and skills learned in the 

previous four units are applied in the fi nal 

unit using higher-level skills, including 

communication, problem solving, and 

compromise. In this unit, students synthesize 

the earth science, physical science, and social 

science information to debate and problemsolve a variety of solutions for managing and 

conserving the Upper Mississippi River. 

All pages in this guide are perforated 

and three-hole punched for your 

convenience. Copies of all lessons and 

activities can be found on the accompanying 

CD-ROM and companion website at 

www.OurMississippi.org. The website also 

includes additional information, activities, 

and up-to-date links for computer-based 

activities and extensions.

How to Use this Guide
2 | Welcome to Our Mississippi | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Use of Icons

This guidebook includes icons to help you fi nd 

what you need at a glance among the wealth of 

information, activities, and extension ideas. They 

serve as quick reference points for different 

types of information. 

Primary Icons

Summary Sidebar Secondary Icons A river otter sits atop the 

summary sidebar that begins 

each lesson introduction and 

lesson to provide you with a 

quick overview of its purpose 

and focus.

Activity Instructions 

This dragonfl y marks all 

activity instructions.

Helpful Hints

Post-It notes provide 

suggestions and tips.

Copy Me

This Viceroy 

butterfl y 

identifi es pages 

that can be 

reproduced on 

a copier.

Student Activity 

Worksheet

A pencil will often show 

up on student activity 

worksheets for grades 

5–6 students.

Lower Grade 

Level Extensions

This duckling 

identifi es 

extension ideas 

for grades K–4 

students.

Answer Keys

A set of keys 

identifi es the 

answers to 

pre- and postassessments 

and activities.

Upper Grade Level 

Student Activity 

Worksheet

A pen marks student 

activity worksheets for 

grades 7–12 students.

Standards Correlation

The ruler provides you 

with a quick summary 

of the national and state 

standards addressed in a unit 

introduction or lesson.

Career Launch

The leaping frog 

identifi es career ideas 

to share with students.
6 | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | 7

1.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River Watershed: 

Pre- and Post-Assessments

Students use maps to locate their place in the watershed and learn 

basic facts that explain its national and global signifi cance.

1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations

Explore how the Mississippi River Watershed was formed by the 

movement of glaciers millions of years ago.

1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata

Investigate why the Mississippi River is constantly changing by 

learning how sediment is transported and by experimenting with 

different types of sediment.

1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs 

of the Water Cycle

Learn the many ways the Mississippi River is impacted 

by the water cycle.

1.4 One Trunk with Many Branches: Mapping the 

Mississippi River Watershed

Discover the entire watershed by exploring the watershed’s tributaries, 

identifying its states, and meeting its communities. Students focus 

fi rst on the Mississippi River Valley and then widen their exploration to 

include the whole watershed in two different mapping activities.

Unit 1

Mississippi River 

Watershed

Unit 1: Mississippi River Watershed presents a broad overview of 

the vast drainage basin of the Mississippi River. This unit prepares 

students for an in-depth examination of the Mississippi River 

by fi rst placing it in the spatial context of its entire watershed and 

then introducing them to its geography, history, earth science, and 

physical science.

A large wall map of the watershed places the Mississippi River in its 

larger geographic context. Used as a central teaching tool throughout 

this guide, the map acts as the main conceptual thread combining the 

different units, subjects, and activities.

UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | 235

Lesson 4.2

All Aboard the

Steamboat Era:

Steam Powers a New Economy

Introduction

In Lesson 4.2, students learn how the steamboat changed 

travel and commerce on the river. They use nautical charts 

and “mark the twain” with Samuel Clemens. A demonstration 

of the power of steam helps students understand how steam 

power revolutionized travel on the Mississippi River. 

Background

The invention of the 

steamboat in the early 

1800s changed life along 

the Mississippi River. 

Steam-powered shipping 

turned the river into a 

major transportation corridor, increased trade, and created a 

river culture that was distinctly American.

Since there were few roads and no railways in the lands 

of the Louisiana Purchase, the Mississippi River and its 

tributaries were the best routes for travel, trade, and 

settlement. With the advent of steam power, those activities 

increased dramatically. A voyage that once took months 

could now be done in ten days. 

In 1811, the fi rst steamboat to travel the Mississippi from 

the Ohio River to New Orleans was the New Orleans. She 

transported people and goods between New Orleans, 

Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi until she hit a stump and 

sank two years later.

 Unit 4 goal reminder

Explore the Mississippi 

River at work and how it 

has changed over time

 Lesson goal

Learn how the steamboat 

changed travel and commerce 

on the river 

 Lesson objectives

• Introduce the steamboat

• Discuss how the steamboat 

revolutionized river commerce

• Use maps to navigate the river

• Demonstrate the power 

of steam 

 Educational standards

• Science 

• Social Studies

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Confl uence: The River 

Heritage of St. Louis video

• 2 cups of water

• Toy pinwheel

• Hotpot or pot of boiling 

water and hot plate

• Pot-holder glove

• Cub pilot journal

 How long it will take

• Activity 1: 30 min.

• Activity 2: 60 min.

 What’s next!

Floods and drought on the 

Upper Mississippi River.

In this lesson we continue to uncover ways 

to navigate the river and introduce the 

steamboat. We touch on the physical science 

standard as students watch a demonstration 

about the power of steam and address the 

history of science by learning about the 

inventors that harnessed it.

In this lesson we continue to uncover ways

Backgro

The inven

steamboa In this lesson we continue to uncover ways

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | 65

UNIT 2

Activity 1 Introduction 2.0

Pre- and Post- 

 Assessment

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet 

(pages 66–67)

Do This

1. Copy and distribute the Pre- and Post- Assessment activity 

worksheet on the following page.

2. Allow 15 minutes for students to complete the assessment. 

3. Save the pre-assessments to compare with a postassessment given after students complete all the lessons in 

this unit using this same activity worksheet. 

4. Calculate each student’s percent increase in knowledge. 

1. Producer -----------------------Makes its own food 

2. Prey -----------------------------Hunted by another animal for food 

3. Scavenger ---------------------Eats dead things 

4. Carnivore ----------------------Eats only other animals 

5. Herbivore ----------------------Eats plants

6. Omnivore ---------------------Eats plants and animals 

7. Biotic ----------------------------Organisms, living or dead, or any part of them 

8. Abiotic --------------------------Non-living components in the environment 

9. Predator------------------------Hunts other animals for food

10. Ecosystem --------------------Living and non-living things interacting in a system

11. Species -------------------------Single kind of living thing

12. Habitat--------------------------Place where all survival needs are met

Multiple Choice

1. D 6. C

2. B 7. A

3. C 8. C

4. B 9. C

5. D 10. A

We consider species to be like a brick in the foundation of a 

building. You can probably lose one or two or a dozen bricks 

and still have a standing house. But by the time you’ve lost 

20 percent of species, you’re going to destabilize the entire 

structure. That’s how ecosystems work. – Donald Falk, Christian Science Monitor, May 26, 1989

Answer Key

UNIT 5

306 | 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 5.3

To help engage students in the 

idea of volunteering their time 

and efforts for a good cause, 

ask them to read the fi ndings 

in the excerpt on the next page 

from “Volunteer Growth in 

America: A Review of Trends 

Since 1974,” Volunteering in 

America by the Corporation 

for National and Community 

Service.

Ask students to work in groups 

to discuss the fi ndings and 

hypothesize about the trends 

described.

Grades

7–12 Small group activity

DISCUSSION EXTENSION

 Career launch

Invite a local 

volunteer to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

Encourage students to 

volunteer with groups outside 

of your school.

Express yourself!

Ask students to write a letter to 

another student describing their 

service project or service learning 

experience. 

Grades K–4 extension

• You are never too 

young to volunteer! 

Ask students what 

they could do to help 

the river. 

• Have students write lyrics to 

a song that will help them 

remember the Recycle, Reuse, 

and Reduce principle.

Upper Grade Level Activity

•

Extension Suggestions

334 | A8: Planning Chart | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 A8: Planning Chart

A8: Planning Chart g

Unit 1 Goal:

Introduce students to the Mississippi River Watershed and explore how it made its mark on the country’s ecosystems and commerce.

1.0 Introduction to 

the Mississippi River 

Watershed

Learn why the 

Mississippi River 

Watershed is 

considered one of the 

world’s greatest river 

systems

• Introduce the Mississippi River Watershed

• Discover some interesting facts about the watershed

• Identify your state in the watershed

Page 6

• Geography

• Earth Science

• Language Arts

• Pre-assessment

• Introduce wall 

map 

• Word search

1.1 Movers and 

Scrapers: Upper 

Mississippi Glaciations

Learn how the 

Mississippi River 

Watershed was formed 

by the movement of 

glaciers

• Defi ne geographic terms related to the formation of the 

Mississippi River

• Demonstrate how the Mississippi River was formed

• Demonstrate glacial erosion

Page 17

• Physical Science

• Earth Science

• Social StudiesGeography

• Language Arts

• Demonstrate 

glacial erosion 

1.2 

Built from the Bottom 

Up: Sediment Strata

Learn why the 

Mississippi River is 

constantly changing

• Defi ne geographic terms related to the formation of the 

Mississippi River

• Explain and discuss the rock cycle

• Demonstrate how sediment is formed

Pages 25

• Social StudiesGeography

• Earth Science

• Language Arts

• Create 

sediment 

bottles

1.3 Going with the 

Flow: Ups and Downs 

of the Water Cycle

Learn the many ways 

the water cycle affects 

the Mississippi River

• Defi ne geographic terms related to the Mississippi River 

water cycle

• Discuss the water cycle 

• Identify some of the impacts of the water cycle on the river

Pages 33

• Earth Science

• Physical Science

• Science in 

Personal 

and Social 

Perspectives

• Language Arts

• Do an 

evaporation 

experiment

1.4 One Trunk with 

Many Branches: 

Mapping the

Mississippi River 

Watershed

Learn the importance 

of the Mississippi River 

Watershed and the 

communities located 

along the Upper 

Mississippi River

• Defi ne geographic terms related to the Mississippi River 

• Identify states, tributaries, and major cities along the 

Upper Mississippi River

• Discuss the impact of the waterways on people and 

commerce

Page 43

• Physical Science

• Life Science

• Math

• Geography

• Language Arts

• Map usage and 

legend creation

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | Welcome to Our Mississippi | 3

Unit Overview

Each unit is designed to give you 

everything you need to explore a 

given subject area in depth, including 

activities and extension ideas. 

All units begin with a two-page 

overview that provides a brief summary 

of the unit and its lessons and activities.

Units contain:

• Unit Goal

• Pre- and Post-Assessment

• Introduction

• Lessons

• Activities

• Extensions

Every unit contains 

four or fi ve lessons 

that include one or 

two activities each. 

Each unit includes 

a pre- and postassessment designed 

to evaluate student 

knowledge before and 

after each unit. Answer 

key is included. 

To help you choose and plan 

lessons and activities, we included 

a chart that provides all the 

pertinent information you need at a 

glance. It lists the goals, objectives, 

page numbers, standards, and 

activities for all the lessons in this 

guide in one place. This is located in 

the appendix section of the guide.

All units contain 

at least one 

upper and 

lower grade 

level extension 

activity.

| pp | pp pp pp pp pp pp | pp | | |
4 | Welcome to Our Mississippi | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson Overview

Each lesson provides all the 

information you need to explore a 

particular subject. Student activities 

are experiential hands-on activities or 

experiences. Highly adaptable, most 

can be used as either individual or 

small group activities or as classroom 

demonstrations, depending on the 

teacher’s goals and resources.

Each lesson contains:

• Background information, key 

concepts, vocabulary, and/or 

interesting facts

• Discussion ideas and lesson 

instructions

• Student activity worksheets

• Related careers and quotes

• Extension ideas

Each lesson includes a summary 

sidebar listing the unit goal, lesson 

goal, learning objectives, education 

standards, materials needed, time, 

and a preview of the next lesson.

To save teachers time and effort, we have 

provided background information to help 

teachers get up to speed on a topic, as well 

as engaging fast facts and ideas for leading 

structured discussions that will help prepare 

students for the activities and extensions. 

UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | 235

Lesson 4.2

All Aboard the

Steamboat Era:

Steam Powers a New Economy

Introduction

In Lesson 4.2, students learn how the steamboat changed 

travel and commerce on the river. They use nautical charts 

and “mark the twain” with Samuel Clemens. A demonstration 

of the power of steam helps students understand how steam 

power revolutionized travel on the Mississippi River. 

Background

The invention of the 

steamboat in the early 

1800s changed life along 

the Mississippi River. 

Steam-powered shipping 

turned the river into a 

major transportation corridor, increased trade, and created a 

river culture that was distinctly American.

Since there were few roads and no railways in the lands 

of the Louisiana Purchase, the Mississippi River and its 

tributaries were the best routes for travel, trade, and 

settlement. With the advent of steam power, those activities 

increased dramatically. A voyage that once took months 

could now be done in ten days. 

In 1811, the fi rst steamboat to travel the Mississippi from 

the Ohio River to New Orleans was the New Orleans. She 

transported people and goods between New Orleans, 

Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi until she hit a stump and 

sank two years later.

 Unit 4 goal reminder

Explore the Mississippi 

River at work and how it 

has changed over time

 Lesson goal

Learn how the steamboat 

changed travel and commerce 

on the river 

 Lesson objectives

• Introduce the steamboat

• Discuss how the steamboat 

revolutionized river commerce

• Use maps to navigate the river

• Demonstrate the power 

of steam 

 Educational standards

• Science 

• Social Studies

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Confl uence: The River 

Heritage of St. Louis video

• 2 cups of water

• Toy pinwheel

• Hotpot or pot of boiling 

water and hot plate

• Pot-holder glove

• Cub pilot journal

 How long it will take

• Activity 1: 30 min.

• Activity 2: 60 min.

 What’s next!

Floods and drought on the 

Upper Mississippi River.

In this lesson we continue to uncover ways 

to navigate the river and introduce the 

steamboat. We touch on the physical science 

standard as students watch a demonstration 

about the power of steam and address the 

history of science by learning about the 

inventors that harnessed it.

In this lesson we continue to uncover ways

Backgro

The inven

steamboa In this lesson we continue to uncover ways UNIT 4

UNIT 4

274 | 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System | 275

Lesson 4.5 Lesson 4.5

Ships became able to travel from 

the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint 

Lawrence Seaway to the Gulf of Mexico 

after the Illinois and Michigan Canal 

was constructed in 1848. This canal 

connected Lake Michigan and the 

Illinois River. Later, locks and dams 

were built on the Illinois Waterway to 

improve navigation.

The Mississippi River serves as our 

nation’s main transportation artery for 

gas, oil, fertilizer, industrial chemicals, 

lumber, pulp and paper, sand and 

gravel, steel, and coal. Corn, soybeans, 

and wheat are shipped from farms in 

the Midwest downriver to ports in south 

Louisiana and exported to foreign lands.

Large groups of barges are lashed 

together and pushed up and down the 

Mississippi River at 4 to 8 miles per 

hour by 10,000-horsepower towboats, 

delivering more than 400 million tons 

of bulk cargo each year. 

These tows are an extremely effi cient 

mode of transportation, moving about 

22,500 tons of cargo as a single unit. They 

make it possible to move large volumes 

of bulk commodities long distances 

using less fuel and creating less pollution 

per ton mile than trucks or trains. They 

also make highways and railways less 

congested. A single 15-barge tow is 

equivalent to about 225 railroad cars 

or 870 tractor-trailer trucks. If the cargo 

transported on the inland waterways 

each year had to be moved by another 

mode, it would take an additional 6.3 

million rail cars or 25.2 million trucks to 

carry the load.

Need to Know

• Coal is the largest 

commodity by volume 

moving on the inland 

waterways. The country’s 

electric utility industry 

depends on the inland 

waterways for over 20% of 

the coal they consume to 

produce electricity. 

• Petroleum is the nextlargest group, including 

crude oil, gasoline, diesel 

fuel, jet fuel, heavy fuel oils, 

and asphalt.

• Another large group 

includes grain and other 

farm products, most of 

which moves by waterway 

to ports on the Lower 

Mississippi River or 

Columbia River for export 

overseas. 60% of the 

country’s farm exports travel 

through inland waterways.

• Other major 

commodities include 

aggregates, such as 

stone, sand, and gravel 

used in construction; 

chemicals, including 

fertilizers; metal ores, 

minerals, and products, 

such as steel; and many 

other manufacturers’ 

products.

Discussion (30 minutes)

You’ll need

• Confl uence: The River Heritage of St. Louis (see page 

254 for more information about the video)

• Wall map

Show students Scene 4, “River Network of the Future” 

from The River Heritage of St. Louis video and discuss 

the goods and products that travel up and down the 

river. Use the wall map to discuss how boats can travel 

from the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico.

Have students research the various products hauled on 

the Mississippi. Ask them which commodities go up the 

river (e.g., coal) and which ones go down (e.g., wheat) 

and why. Discuss and compare hauling products by 

river, rail, and road. 

Hazardous Materials Spills

Barges spill fewer gallons of fuel per 

one million ton-miles.

Fuel Effi ciency

Barges move more tons of cargo 

per gallon of fuel. 

CO2 Emissions

Barges produce less CO2 emissions 

per million ton-miles than trains 

and trucks.

This vital shipping channel is maintained 

by dredging. The Upper Mississippi 

River is made navigable by 29 locks and 

dams, which allow giant barges to travel 

as far north as Minneapolis. The U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers is responsible 

for investigating, developing and 

maintaining the nation’s water and related 

environmental resources.

However, modern navigation comes at 

both an environmental and fi nancial cost. 

Maintaining and operating the locks and 

dams along the river takes a great deal of 

money, and dredging and damming the 

river causes environmental damage.

Sources: National Park Service, Texas Transportation Institute, and

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Rate of Spills in Gallons per 

Million Ton-miles

Spills of more than 1,000 gallons

Source: National Waterways Foundation. 

Advantages of Inland Waterways Transport: 

Safeguarding Our Health and the Environment.

Ton-miles Traveled 

per Gallon of Fuel

Source: National Waterways 

Foundation. Advantages of 

Inland Waterways Transport: 

Safeguarding Our Health and 

the Environment.

Tons of CO2 per 

Million Ton-miles

Source: National Waterways 

Foundation. Advantages of 

Inland Waterways Transport: 

Safeguarding Our Health and 

the Environment.
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | Welcome to Our Mississippi | 5

Each activity marked with a 

dragonfl y lists information 

on grade level, time required, 

and materials. Some activities 

include photos of step-by-step 

instructions.

Some activities include 

worksheets that can be 

copied and given to students 

to complete.

At the end of each lesson 

you will fi nd ideas on how 

to extend the lesson. These 

provide additional depth 

to each lesson and include 

suggestions for outdoor and 

online activities for a variety 

of grade levels. 

UNIT 1UNIT 1

28 | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | 29

Lesson 1.2 Activity 1 Lesson 1.2

Here's how it works

Do This

Have students create a sediment bottle using leaves, small 

sticks, rocks (various sizes), dirt, and water (you can also add 

small pieces of litter). Let the bottle settle for approximately 30 

minutes and see what settles (time depends on soil type and 

materials used). Use the Upper Grade Level Activity worksheet 

on page 31 as an extension for this lesson. 

Ask students the following questions:

1. Which items fl oat to the top?

2. Which items sink to the bottom? 

3. What caused the items to settle? 

4. What happens to the sticks?

 (This question could lead to a discussion on how fossils 

are formed.)

5. Think about the river. What do you think happens if lots of 

these items fall into the river? 

 (You could also discuss how water velocity, and the size and 

weight of items contribute to the sediment layer at the point 

of entry as well as determining which items continue to fl ow 

downstream.)

6. Why do you think the Mississippi River is called the Big 

Muddy? What makes it unique? 

Variations on the sediment bottle contents:

• Use dirt collected in the schoolyard or brought from home.

• Add different kinds of litter to the bottle, such as small pieces 

of plastic bag, small pieces of newspaper, trash bag tie, 

pieces of candy wrapper, etc.

• Small group activity: Fill three bottles with different soil 

types (sand, silt, and clay) and discuss why certain types of 

soil settle faster (particulate size).

Create a 

 Sediment Bottle

Grades

5–6

Individual or 

group activity

Do ahead: Gathering 

materials ahead of time 

and sorting them by 

size will shorten the 

lesson time, but isn’t as 

much fun.

Gather all your materials and 

then fi ll the clear 2-liter bottle 

about 3⁄4 full with water.

Cap the bottle and shake. 

Notice how the water gets 

cloudy or muddy.

Set aside and do not 

disturb the bottle.

This is what the bottle should 

look like after approximately 

20–30 minutes.

This is what the bottle 

should look like after 

1 hour.

Spoon the dirt, sticks, leaves, 

rocks, and litter (if using) into 

the bottle.

What you’ll need

• Clear 2-liter bottle (big 

enough to insert various 

sized rocks) with a cap

• Funnel (roll up paper to 

make a funnel)

• Dirt, leaves, small sticks 

and rocks (various sizes)

• Water

• Small pieces of litter 

(variation)

• Activity worksheets

(pages 30-31)

1 3

4a 4b 4c

2

Teacher 

 Tip

Introduction 2.0 Introduction 2.0

72 | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 73

Explore Your Ecosystem

Activity 2

Explore the schoolyard and/or park before 

conducting this activity so you will have 

some ideas for where to have the students 

start exploring.

Do This

1. Open the door and step into your 

ecosystem! Go outside and investigate 

your schoolyard or a nearby park. 

Better yet, take a fi eld trip to a National 

Wildlife Refuge near your school.

2. Investigate the surroundings and 

note the biotic and abiotic factors 

there – what living and non-living 

components can you fi nd? Use the 

magnifying glass to view small 

items up close. Use the binoculars 

to view things far away. 

3. Log your fi ndings in your 

observation activity worksheet 

on the following page.

4. Start a journal. Check the same 

area weekly and update your journal.

Explore 

 Your Ecosystem

What you’ll need

• Observation activity 

worksheet (page 73)

• Binoculars

• Magnifying glass

• Pencil

• Field guide

• Journal

Biotic

(birds, worms, plants)

Abiotic

(rocks, bicycle, fence)

Where you found it

(near the school entrance 

or by the swings)

Notes for your journal __________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Safety

 Tip

Depending on size of 

exploration area and 

distance from school

Do 

Ahead

UNIT 2

Be sure to review 

your safety rules 

before the trip.

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 1

Lesson 1.2

32 | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 Career launch

Invite a local 

geologist to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Be a schoolyard geologist

Learn how to collect and describe 

rocks with the U.S. Geological 

Survey. Visit www.usgs.gov and 

search keywords collecting rocks

and describing what you see. 

Create your own fossils

Make your own fossils out of 

mud. Find instructions from the 

USGS online at www.usgs.gov. 

Search keywords mud fossils. 

Get outside!

Find a place near you where 

layers of sediment are visible 

(hills cut by roadways often make 

good examples) and discuss how 

sediment layers are formed and 

what they tell scientists about the 

age of the earth. 

Learn more online

Learn about rocks and minerals 

from the National Park Service. 

Go to www.nature.nps.gov and 

search keywords: rocks and 

minerals.

Learn about sediment from 

the U.S. Geological Survey. Go 

to www.usgs.gov and search 

keyword: sediment.

Learn about the sediment 

thickness of the world’s 

oceans from NOAA National 

Geophysical Data Center 

(NGDC) (www.ngdc.noaa.gov).

Search keyword: sediment

Bluffs of the Mississippi River 

Great limestone bluffs rise up abruptly 

along the Mississippi River from the 

confl uence of the Missouri and Illinois 

Rivers north to Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

More than 450 million years, ago ancient 

seas deposited layers of sediment. 

Usually yellow or light grey, limestone is 

a sedimentary rock composed of calcium 

carbonate deposited by the remains of 

marine animals and often contains fossils.

Bluffs are visible along the meeting of the 

Great Rivers Scenic Byway. The Vadalabene 

Bike Trail parallels the byway between Alton 

Extension Suggestions and the Pere Marquette State Park. 
6 | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Unit 1

Mississippi River 

Watershed

Unit 1: Mississippi River Watershed presents a broad overview of 

the vast drainage basin of the Mississippi River. This unit prepares 

students for an in-depth examination of the Mississippi River 

by fi rst placing it in the spatial context of its entire watershed and 

then introducing them to its geography, history, earth science, and 

physical science.

A large wall map of the watershed places the Mississippi River in its 

larger geographic context. Used as a central teaching tool throughout 

this guide, the map acts as the main conceptual thread combining the 

different units, subjects, and activities.
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | 7

1.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River Watershed: 

Pre- and Post-Assessments

Students use maps to locate their place in the watershed and learn 

basic facts that explain its national and global signifi cance.

1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations

Explore how the Mississippi River Watershed was formed by the 

movement of glaciers millions of years ago.

1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata

Investigate why the Mississippi River is constantly changing by 

learning how sediment is transported and by experimenting with 

different types of sediment.

1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs 

of the Water Cycle

Learn the many ways the Mississippi River is impacted 

by the water cycle.

1.4 One Trunk with Many Branches: Mapping the 

Mississippi River Watershed

Discover the entire watershed by exploring the watershed’s tributaries, 

identifying its states, and meeting its communities. Students focus 

fi rst on the Mississippi River Valley and then widen their exploration to 

include the whole watershed in two different mapping activities.
Missouri River

Ohio River

Wisconsin River

La Croix River

Tennessee River

Minnesota River

Illinois River

Kaskaskia River

Arkansas River

Red River

Mississippi River

Des Moines River

Introduction to the

Mississippi River 

Watershed

UNIT 1

Unit 1 goal

Introduce students to the 

Mississippi River Watershed 

and explore how it made its 

mark on the country’s 

ecosystems and commerce.

Lesson goal

Learn why the Mississippi River 

Watershed is considered one of 

the world’s greatest river systems.

Lesson objectives

• Introduce the Mississippi 

River Watershed

• Discover some interesting 

facts about the watershed

• Identify your state in the 

watershed

Educational standards

• Geography

• Earth Science

• Language Arts

What you’ll need

• Double-sided wall map of the 

Mississippi River Watershed 

(included in this guide)

• Dry erase markers

How long it will take

• Activity 1: 15 min.

• Activity 2: 20 min.

• Discussion: 60 min. 

What’s next!

Learn how the Mississippi River 

Watershed was formed by glaciers

Introduction

The fi rst lesson in Unit 1 provides the framework for 

an in-depth examination of the physical, chemical, and 

biological processes that shaped the Mississippi River 

system. It introduces students to the geography of the 

Mississippi River Watershed by using large wall maps 

of the continental United States. Students locate their 

place in the watershed and learn basic facts that explain 

its national and global signifi cance. 

8 | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

This lesson addresses geography standards by using basic 

map skills to organize information about the Mississippi 

River Watershed in a spatial context. It includes a pre- and 

post-assessment quiz for the entire unit.

Incorporating the Extension Suggestions adds an 

additional dimension to this lesson by including activities 

that incorporate language arts standards.

g g

Thi l dd h t d d b i b i s lesson addresses geography standards by using basic 
UNIT 1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | 9

Activity Introduction 1.0

Pre- and Post- 

 Assessment

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet 

(pages 10–11)

Do This

1. Copy and distribute the Pre- and Post-Assessment activity 

worksheet on the following page.

2. Allow 15 minutes for students to complete the assessment. 

3. Save the pre-assessments to compare with a postassessment given after students complete all the lessons in 

this unit using this same activity worksheet. 

4. Calculate each student’s percent increase in knowledge. 

1. Minnesota

2. Gulf of Mexico

3. Louisiana

4. Any four of the following: Arkansas, 

Illinios, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, 

Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, 

Tennessee, Wisconsin

5. Answers may vary. Examples: 

birds, fi sh, mammals, reptiles, 

amphibians, insects

6. c

7. b

8. d

9. a

10. b

11. b

12. d

13. Ojibwe word for “great river” 

or “gathering of waters” 

14. North to south

I recognize the right and duty of this 

generation to develop and use our natural 

resources, but I do not recognize the right 

to waste them, or rob by wasteful use, 

the generations that come after us.

– Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

Answer Key
10 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

1. The Mississippi River starts in which northern state? ____________________________

2. Into which large body of water does the Mississippi River fl ow? _________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

3. In which state does the Mississippi River end? _________________________________

4. Name four states that border the Mississippi River: _____________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

5. Name three kinds of wildlife found along the river: _____________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

Multiple choice

Circle the correct answer. There may be more than one correct answer.

6. The Mississippi River fl ows 2,340 miles from its source. 

How many kilometers is that?

a. 1,170 

b. 2,340

c. 3,765

d. 4,680

7. The Mississippi River Watershed is:

a. 5th largest in the world

b. 3rd largest in the world

c. 2nd largest in the world

d. Largest in the world

Unit 1 Assessment
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 11

8. The total area drained by a stream and its tributaries is called the:

a. Hydrologic cycle

b. Divide

c. Tributary area

d. Watershed or drainage basin

9. A tributary is:

a. A stream or river that fl ows into and combines with another river or body of water

b. Where the river enters into an ocean or other large body of water

c. The location of the largest city on a river

d. A place where three rivers meet

10. Headwaters are:

a. Where a river empties into an ocean or other large body of water

b. The place where a river or stream begins

c. The deepest part of a river

d. The widest part of a river

11. A mouth of a river is:

a. The place where a river or stream begins

b. Where a river enters the ocean or other large body of water

c. The widest part of a river

d. The area where two rivers meet

12. Which is NOT a tributary of the Mississippi River:

a. Missouri River

b. Ohio River

c. Illinois River

d. Colorado River

Bonus questions

13. From where does the word “Mississippi” originate? ____________________________

 ____________________________________________________________________________

 ____________________________________________________________________________

14. Does the Mississippi River fl ow (in general): north to south, south to north, east 

to west, or west to east? _____________________________________________________

 ____________________________________________________________________________

 ____________________________________________________________________________
UNIT 1

Introduction 1.0

12 | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

3rd-largest watershed (by area)

- 1,837,000 square miles (4,757,800 square kilometers)

4th-longest river system 

- Mississippi River: 2,340 miles (3,765 kilometers)

- Mississippi-Missouri system: 

3,902 miles (6,275 kilometers)

10th-most powerful river in the world 

(average discharge)

- 16,200 cubic meters per second

Need to Know

• Headwaters: The place where a river 

or stream begins. 

• River Mouth: Where a river empties into 

an ocean or other large body of water.

• Tributary: A stream or river that fl ows 

into and combines with another river. 

The major tributaries of the Mississippi 

River include the Missouri, Illinois, 

Ohio, and Arkansas Rivers.

• Ojibwe: Group of Native American 

people from along the Mississippi 

River and the Great Lakes. Also spelled 

Ojibwey and Ojibwa. The name is 

sometimes anglicized as Chippewa. 

• Watershed: A region or area of land 

where water from rain or snow drains 

downhill into a body of water, such as 

a river, lake, wetland, estuary, sea, or 

ocean. Also called a drainage basin.

Samuel 

Clemens 

(1835 – 1910), 

known by the 

pen name 

Mark Twain 

Background

As part of the longest river system in 

North America, the Mississippi River 

is one of the world’s greatest rivers. It 

lives up to its many names – Mighty 

Mississippi, Father of Waters, Old Man 

River, American Treasure. 

Mississippi is an Ojibwe (Chippewa) word 

for “great river” or “gathering of waters.” 

When combined with the Missouri and 

Illinois Rivers, two of its major tributaries, 

the Mississippi River system forms the 

third-largest drainage basin in the world.

The Mississippi River’s watershed 

covers about 40% of the continental 

United States and drains 31 states and 

two Canadian provinces. It fl ows north 

to south from Canada to the Gulf of 

Mexico and stretches east to west 

from the Appalachian Mountains to 

the Rocky Mountains. Only the 

watersheds of the Amazon and 

Congo Rivers are larger.

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); 

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area; Upper 

Mississippi River Conservation Committee; U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division; U.S. 

Fish & Wildlife Service, Midwest Region; U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) Biological Resources Division.
UNIT 1

Discussion (60 minutes)

Introduce students to the Mississippi 

River Watershed using the doublesided wall map. Start with the full-color 

satellite image side to introduce the 

watershed in relation to the topography 

of the landscape. Point out some of the 

geographic features that defi ne 

the boundaries of the watershed, 

such as the Rocky and Appalachian 

Mountains. Ask students to help locate 

the following:

• Mississippi River 

• Mouth of the Mississippi River

• Headwaters of the Mississippi River

• Major tributaries (Missouri and 

Illinois Rivers)

• Their state and city or town

Turn the map over to the black and 

white image of the watershed with 

unlabeled lines showing the Mississippi 

River, its main tributaries, and state 

outlines. Ask students to identify and 

count the number of states bordering 

the Mississippi River. On the map, 

label the Mississippi River and its 

major tributaries as well as the states 

bordering the river. 

This map will be used 

in various activities 

throughout this guide. 

Laminate the wall map so it 

can be used with dry erase 

markers for activities. See 

the answer key on page 57.

Use the Word Search activity 

on page 14 to introduce 

students to concepts and 

vocabulary for this unit.

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | 13

Introduction 1.0

River View

The Mississippi is well worth reading about. 

It is not a commonplace river, but on the 

contrary is in all ways remarkable... It seems 

safe to say that it is also the crookedest river 

in the world, since in one part of its journey it 

uses up one thousand three hundred miles to 

cover the same ground that the crow would 

fl y over in six hundred and seventy-fi ve. It 

discharges three times as much water as the 

St. Lawrence, twenty-fi ve times as much as 

the Rhine, and three hundred and thirty-eight 

times as much as the Thames. 

No other river has so vast a drainage-basin: 

it draws its water supply ... from Delaware, 

on the Atlantic seaboard, and from all the 

country between that and Idaho on the 

Pacifi c slope – a spread of forty-fi ve degrees of 

longitude. The Mississippi receives and carries 

to the Gulf water from fi fty-four subordinate 

rivers that are navigable by steamboats, and 

from some hundreds that are navigable by 

fl ats and keels. The area of its drainage-basin 

is as great as the combined areas of England, 

Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, 

Portugal, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Turkey; 

and almost all this wide region is fertile; the 

Mississippi valley, proper, is exceptionally so.

– Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), 1863

Teacher

 Tip
14 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Word Search

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

M O U T H R Q W A T E R S H E D B A Y

R U N T Z E H E Z D W A T T E R S M G

P L A I N S I T A T I S N O W Y O E R

A L L Y I E S L A K E S P P O N D L A

D R I V E R S A L T Y S H O R E S T V

D A M S Q V Z N I C C O N G U L F S I

L A Z F L O O D I O T B B R I D G E T

E R O S P I R A I N S C O A S T S S Y

W W A T E R C R A F T Z Q P U L L T O

H P O R T Q V A L L E Y D H A I L U U

E D G E Z T R I B U T A R Y S S E A L

E G L A C I E R S E V L A R A O D R D

L O A M S B A S I N Q H I L L I S Y E

E V E R L I F E O C E A N Q C L I F F

R I V E R B E D W E E D A Q O I C L I

I S T R A T A N N B A R G E S S E A R

E R O S I O N S E D I M E N T O P Q N

X R U D R A I N A G E K I G N E O U S

E C O S Y S T E M H Y D R O L O G I C

R O C K S M E T A M O R P H I C A L L

C A P P R E C I P I T A T I O N G E L

Barge

Basin 

Bay

Bridge

Coast

Confl uence

Dams 

Drainage

Ecosystem 

Erosion 

Estuary

Firn 

Flood

Glacier 

Gravity 

Gulf

Hydrologic 

Ice

Igneous

Lake

Life

Melt

Metamorphic

Mouth 

Ocean

Paddlewheeler

Plains

Precipitation

Pond 

Port

Rain 

Reservoir

River

Riverbed

Rocks

Salt

Sea

Sediment

Shore

Snow

Soil

Strata 

Stream

Topography

Tributary

Valley

Watercraft

Watershed 

Wetland

Words to fi nd:
Answer Key

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | 15

M O U T H R Q W A T E R S H E D B A Y

R U N T Z E H E Z D W A T T E R S M G

P L A I N S I T A T I S N O W Y O E R

A L L Y I E S L A K E S P P O N D L A

D R I V E R S A L T Y S H O R E S T V

D A M S Q V Z N I C C O N G U L F S I

L A Z F L O O D I O T B B R I D G E T

E R O S P I R A I N S C O A S T S S Y

W W A T E R C R A F T Z Q P U L L T O

H P O R T Q V A L L E Y D H A I L U U

E D G E Z T R I B U T A R Y S S E A L

E G L A C I E R S E V L A R A O D R D

L O A M S B A S I N Q H I L L I S Y E

E V E R L I F E O C E A N Q C L I F F

R I V E R B E D W E E D A Q O I C L I

I S T R A T A N N B A R G E S S E A R

E R O S I O N S E D I M E N T O P Q N

X R U D R A I N A G E K I G N E O U S

E C O S Y S T E M H Y D R O L O G I C

R O C K S M E T A M O R P H I C A L L

C A P P R E C I P I T A T I O N G E L

Barge

Basin 

Bay

Bridge

Coast

Confl uence

Dams 

Drainage

Ecosystem 

Erosion 

Estuary

Firn 

Flood

Glacier 

Gravity 

Gulf

Hydrologic 

Ice

Igneous

Lake

Life

Melt

Metamorphic

Mouth 

Ocean

Paddlewheeler

Plains

Precipitation

Pond 

Port

Rain 

Reservoir

River

Riverbed

Rocks

Salt

Sea

Sediment

Shore

Snow

Soil

Strata 

Stream

Topography

Tributary

Valley

Watercraft

Watershed 

Wetland

Words to fi nd:

Word Search
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 1

16 | 1.0 Introduction: Mississippi River Watershed | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction 1.0

 Career launch

Invite a local 

surveyor, 

cartographer

(mapmaker), or 

GIS (Geographic 

Information Systems) analyst to speak 

to the class. Ask students to research 

the fi eld and prepare questions in 

advance. See A1: Career Launch on 

page 312 for career information and 

professional associations.

River systems of the world

Compare the Mississippi River 

to other river systems around 

the world, such as the Yangtze 

River in China, Amazon River in 

South America, and the Nile River 

in Africa. 

What’s in a name?

Ask students to investigate how the 

Mississippi River got its name and 

write an essay about the possible 

origins of its name. 

Mississippi Mystery 

Sleuths

Ask the students what river 

legends they have heard. Have 

the students work in teams to 

research the various legends 

and myths associated with the 

Mississippi and record their 

fi ndings in a journal. Some 

suggestions: Piasa Bird, St. 

Anthony Falls legend, Sac and 

Fox story about Rock Island.

Learn more online

Learn more about watersheds 

with the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Go to www.usgs.gov and search 

keywords: watersheds and 

drainage basins.

Locate your local watershed 

and learn about its health with 

the U.S. Geological Survey. Go 

to www.usgs.gov and search 

keywords: science in your 

watershed.

Learn more about the Mississippi 

River with the:

• National Park Service.

Go to www.nps.gov and search 

keywords: Mississippi River.

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Go to www.usace.army.mil

and search keywords: 

Mississippi River.

Can you find where they 

stashed the cache?

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) 

is a high-tech treasure hunt using a 

Global Positioning System (GPS) device 

to hide and seek a “cache”, which is a 

hiding place used to conceal a container 

fi lled with a log book, and maybe 

a prize. The goal is to locate hidden 

containers called geocaches.

A geocacher places a geocache, 

usually a small waterproof 

container containing a 

logbook, and pinpoints 

its location using GPS 

technology. Anyone with 

a GPS device can locate 

the geocache and share 

their discovery online. 

To learn more, visit 

Extension Suggestions www.geocaching.com.
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations | 17

UNIT 1

 Unit 1 goal

Introduce students to the 

Mississippi River Watershed 

and explore how it made 

its mark on the country’s 

ecosystems and commerce

 Lesson goal

Learn how the Mississippi 

River Watershed was formed 

by the movement of glaciers

 Lesson objectives

• Defi ne geographic terms 

related to the formation of 

the Mississippi River 

• Learn how the Mississippi 

River was formed 

• Demonstrate glacial erosion

 Educational standards

• Physical Science

• Earth Science

• Social Studies - Geography

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Laminated wall map

• Dry erase markers

• Large clear plastic container 

• Small clear plastic container 

• Sand (1-2 lbs)

• Gravel and rocks

• Wood block (3 cm)

• Ruler

• Water

• Freezer

• Modeling clay (1-2 lbs)

• Hand towel

• Rolling pin or large dowel

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 45–60 min. 

• Activity: 45–60 min. 

 What’s next!

Learn about the rock cycle and 

sediment strata 

Movers and

Scrapers:

Upper Mississippi Glaciations

Introduction

In Lesson 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi 

Glaciations, students learn how the Mississippi River 

Watershed was formed by the movement of glaciers millions 

of years ago. They trace the pre- and late-Wisconsin glacial 

limits, and test how glacial ice and the force of gravity can 

carve river valleys. 

Background

More than 12,000 years 

ago during the last Ice 

Age, glaciers covered parts 

of North America. They 

advanced and retreated in cycles, called glaciations, which 

were named after the regions they covered. During that time, 

the sea level was about 400 feet lower than it is today.

At that time, glaciers covered almost one-third of the land. 

During the Illinoian Glacial Stage, the Mississippi River was 

blocked and diverted to its current location near Rock Island. 

After the glacier melted, the Illinois River fl owed into the 

abandoned channel left by the Mississippi River.

The Wisconsin Glacial Episode was the last major glacial 

advance at the end of the last Ice Age. It was a major force in 

shaping the Mississippi River. As this glacier shrank toward 

the north, it carved out parts of the Mississippi headwaters 

and the riverbed.

Great rivers of ice, glaciers sculpted mountains and carved 

out valleys. As glaciers grow and move, they pick up and 

carry gravel and boulders. As the glaciers melt, rivers 

fl ood and erode, and more rocks and soil are carried away. 

Glaciers continue to fl ow and shape the landscape today in 

many places throughout the world.

Lesson 1.1

This lesson addresses earth science and 

physical science standards, specifi cally, 

concentrating on the history of the earth and 

the physical processes that shaped it.

•

ac a ce a e o ce o g a y ca

s This lesson addresses earth science and s lesson addresses earth science and
Lesson 1.1

18 | 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 1

A glacier begins when winter snowfall 

exceeds summer melting. Newly fallen 

snow is about 80 percent air. After some 

melting, evaporation, and refreezing, 

the light, fl uffy snow turns into small, 

round granules called fi rn. In about one 

year, it will reduce to 50 percent air. 

When additional snow, along with dust 

and other air-deposited substances, 

layer on top, the fi rn is compressed and 

changes into solid ice. This glacial ice 

is denser—composed of less than 20 

percent air.

Years of compression gradually make 

the ice very dense. This compression 

forces out tiny air pockets between 

crystals. When glacier ice becomes 

extremely dense, the ice absorbs all 

other colors in the spectrum, making it 

look blue. When glacier ice is white, that 

usually means that there are many tiny 

air bubbles still in the ice.

As the ice sheet thickens, the force of 

gravity causes it to move. Ice moves 

by changing shape or by slipping and 

shifting along cracks in the ice sheets. 

Like water, ice seeks the lowest levels 

and fl ows downhill. 

The ground beneath the glacier weakens 

due to the downward pressure of the 

ice and constant water saturation. This 

ground breaks off and moves with the 

fl ow of ice, lifting through periods of refreezing and melting.

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Illinois State College 

of Education; Illinois State Museum; National Park Service; National 

Snow and Ice Data Center; Nature Conservancy; PBS NOVA; U.S. 

Geological Survey.

1910

2009

Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana, 

has receded almost out of sight. Compare the two 

photographs, one taken in 1911 and the other in 

2000. Scientists estimate that most of the 30 glaciers 

in the park will be gone by mid-21st century.

Snow
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

Lesson 1.1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations | 19

UNIT 1

Discussion (45–60 minutes)

Use the wall map to show students areas of the 

United States that were covered by glaciers during 

the last Ice Age. At the end of the discussion, ask 

students to draw lines on the map to indicate 

pre-Wisconsin and late-Wisconsin glacial limits in 

different colors and label them. 

Show students images of Grinnell Glacier and explain how glaciers advance and retreat.

• A glacier is a huge collection of ice that 

moves slowly across the land. Glaciers 

form when more snow accumulates than 

melts. Glacier comes from the Latin word 

glacies meaning ice.

Glaciers move, or fl ow, downhill due to 

gravity. Gravity is a force. Every time you 

jump, you experience gravity. It pulls you 

back down to the ground. Without gravity, 

you’d fl oat off into the atmosphere.

• Erosion occurs when rock or soil is 

loosened and carried off by glaciers, 

rivers, winds, or waves.

• Firn is a snowfl ake that has lost half of its 

air and did not completely melt during its 

fi rst summer. Firn comes from German, 

meaning “of last year.”

• A current is a “path” of water or ice that 

fl ows in a certain direction.

Learn more online

Visit these web sites to learn 

more about glaciers:

• National Snow and Ice Data Center 

(www.nsidc.org)

 Search keywords: All about glaciers

• PBS/NOVA (www.pbs.org)

 Search keywords: Everest Anatomy 

of a Glacier

Glaciers store about 70% of the 

world’s freshwater.

 If all land ice melted the seas would 

rise about 230 feet (about 70 meters).

 During the last Ice Age the sea level was 

about 400 feet lower than it is today.

 North America’s longest glacier is the 

Bering Glacier in Alaska, 127 miles (204 

kilometers) long.

 Glacial ice can be very old—in some 

Canadian Arctic icecaps, ice at the 

base is over 100,000 years old.

 Antarctic ice shelves may calve (break 

off) icebergs that are nearly 50 miles 

(80 kilometers) long.

Pre-Wisconsin

Late-Wisconsin
20 | 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 1

Lesson 1.1 Activity

Demonstrate the power of glacial erosion on two different types 

of surfaces, clay and sand.

Do This

1. The day before the activity, freeze the water, gravel, and rock 

mixture to make a glacier. 

• Put the gravel and rock mixture (use rocks of various 

sizes) in the bottom of the small plastic container.

• Add just enough water to cover most of the gravel and 

rock mixture (several rock points should be exposed).

• Freeze the container until the water is solid. 

• Remove the ice block from the container.

2. Demonstrate how a glacier erodes using two different 

surfaces (clay and sand). See step-by-step instructions on the 

opposite page.

3. Observe and record what happens:

• Describe the effects of moving the ice block over clay and 

sand. How were they different?

• Did any material from any surface become mixed with 

material from the ice block? Did the ice block deposit 

material on any surface? 

• What glacial land features are represented by the features 

of your clay model? Your sand model? 

• Based on your observations, predict the result of glacial 

erosion on rock.

Movers 

 and Scrapers

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

What you’ll need

• Large clear plastic container 

(16" x 21" x 5")

• Small clear plastic container 

(5" x 8" x 4") 

• Sand 

• Gravel and rocks

• Ruler

• Water

• Freezer

• Modeling clay (1-2 lbs.)

• Hand towel

• Sand (1-2 lbs)

• Rolling pin or large dowel

• Student activity worksheet 

(pages 22–23)
Lesson 1.1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations | 21

UNIT 1

Here's how it works

Teacher 

Tip

Do ahead: Freeze the water and gravel 

mixture the night before. 

If you decide to let students work in groups 

to demonstrate glacial erosion, you will need 

one set of materials for each group.

Using a rolling pin or large dowel, fl atten the 

modeling clay into a rectangle approximately 

20 x 10 x 1 cm.

Press down on the ice block and move it along the 

length of the fl at clay surface. Sketch the pattern 

made in the clay by the ice block. 

Using the towel to safely grip the ice, place 

the block gravel-and-rock side down at one end 

of the clay. 

Next, press damp sand into the bottom of a 

shallow rectangle box. As in Step 2, move the ice 

block gravel-and-rock side down along the surface 

of the sand while pressing down lightly.

1

3

2

4
22 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Movers and Scrapers

1 Using a rolling pin or large dowel, 

fl atten the modeling clay into a 

rectangle approximately 20 x10 x 1 cm. 

2 Using the towel to safely grip the ice, 

place the block gravel-and-rock side 

down at one end of the clay. 

3 Press down on the ice block and move 

it along the length of the fl at clay 

surface. Sketch the pattern made in the 

clay by the ice block. 

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Defi ne

Firn ___________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Glacier ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Gravity ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Current ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Erosion ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Demonstrate the power of glacial erosion

The day before the activity, put the gravel and rock mixture (various sizes) in the 

bottom of the small plastic container. Add just enough water to cover most of the 

gravel and rock mixture (several rock points should be exposed). Freeze the container 

until the water is solid. 

4 Next, press damp sand into the 

bottom of a shallow rectangle box. 

As in Step 2, move the ice block 

gravel-and-rock side down along the 

surface of the sand while pressing 

down lightly. 
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 23

Observe and record

1. Describe the effects of moving the ice block over clay and sand. 

 ________________________________________________________________

 ________________________________________________________________

 ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

2. Did any material from any surface become mixed with material from the ice block? 

Did the ice block deposit material on any surface? ______________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

3. What glacial land features are represented by the features of your clay model? 

Your sand model? ___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

4. Based on your observations, predict the result of glacial erosion on rock. _________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

24 | 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 1

Lesson 1.1

 Career launch

Invite a local 

geologist to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

What is Geologic Time?

Introduce the concept of Geologic 

Time and discuss how scientists 

measure the past. 

Design your own 

experiment

Ask students to design their own 

experiments to investigate how 

glaciers advance and retreat. 

Global climate change

Discuss the melting of glaciers in 

the context of global warming. 

Have students research the 

implications of a one-, two-, and 

three-meter rise in sea levels.

Learn more online

Learn more about global climate 

change from the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA). Go 

to www.epa.gov and search 

keywords: kids site global 

warming / click on: Global 

Warming: Kids Site: the Climate 

Detectives / click on: Climate’s 

Come a Long Way!

Learn more about ice ages from 

the Illinois State Museum. Go 

to www.museum.state.il.us and 

search keywords: ice ages

Learn more about the Wisconsin 

glacier from the National Park 

Service. Go to www.nps.gov and 

search keywords: Wisconsin’s 

glacial history

Learn more about glaciers:

• U.S. Geological Survey

Go to www.usgs.gov and search 

keywords: glaciers and icecaps

• National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA).Go 

to www.nasa.gov and search 

keywords: changing glacier

Habitats and Climate Change

Habitat loss is one of the biggest threats 

to plant and animal species around 

the world. Global climate change is 

making that problem worse by altering 

the dynamic interactions within 

ecosystems. For example, climate 

change can decrease the fl ow 

or increase the temperature of lakes, 

rivers, and wetlands. Less snowfall in 

the mountains can result in decreased 

fl ow and increased temperature of 

streams, while drought and heat 

increase evaporation rates from the 

small ponds and wetlands. These 

changes in conditions often happen 

faster than plant and animal species 

can adapt.

Extension Suggestions
UNIT 1

Built from the

Bottom Up:

Sediment Strata

Introduction

In Lesson 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata, 

students investigate why the Mississippi River is constantly 

changing and learn how sediment is transported. After 

learning about the rock cycle, stream fl ow, sediment, and 

strata, they experiment with different types of sediment to 

see how long it takes for them to settle.

Background

Rivers make their own beds

Drawn by the force of gravity, running water is the principal 

landscape modifi er at work on the earth’s surface. 

A river carves its bed out of the surrounding landscape. 

How deep or how wide it makes its bed depends on the 

types of material in the land and the amount of water 

fl owing through it. 

Lesson 1.2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | 25

 Unit 1 goal

Introduce students to the 

Mississippi River Watershed 

and explore how it made 

its mark on the country’s 

ecosystems and commerce

 Lesson goal

Learn why the Mississippi River 

is constantly changing

 Lesson objectives

• Defi ne geographic terms 

related to the formation of 

the Mississippi River

• Explain and discuss the 

rock cycle

• Identify the 3 types of rock 

• Demonstrate how sediment 

is formed 

 Educational standards

• Earth Science

• Social Studies - Geography

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Clear 2-liter bottle 

(big enough to insert various 

sized rocks) with cap

• Spoon

• Dirt, leaves, small sticks, 

and rocks (various sizes)

• Funnel (roll up paper to 

make a funnel)

• Water 

• Small pieces of litter (variation)

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 30–45 min. 

• Activity 1: 60 min. 

• Activity 2: 30 min. 

 What’s next!

Learn how the water cycle 

plays a role in the day-to-day 

life of the river

Mississippi River bluffs
UNIT 1

26 | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 1.2

Discussion (30–45 minutes)

Briefl y explain the rock cycle and 

how rivers make their own beds. 

Use the following questions to spark 

a discussion.

What is sediment? 

Sediment is the matter that settles to the 

bottom of a liquid, usually sand, rock, or 

gravel. Sediment is a collection of solid 

material that gets dragged along with 

the fl ow of the river water, and then 

settles to the riverbed when the fl ow 

slows down.

What are strata? 

Strata are distinct layers of sediment 

compressed over time. For example, 

sand eventually becomes sandstone 

because of pressure and cementing 

agents. Geologists read sedimentary 

strata the way biologists read tree rings. 

The thicknesses, composition, angles, 

fossils, and other characteristics tell us 

about the Earth’s past.

What is stream fl ow? 

Stream fl ow refers to the amount of 

water that moves through streams, 

rivers, and other water channels. 

How is sediment transported?

Review the glacial erosion activity from 

Lesson 1.1 on pages 20–23 with students 

and explain sediment transport, then 

ask students, 

What did you observe? Did we see 

erosion happening in the glacial 

erosion activity?

The land along the Mississippi River is 

mainly made up of sedimentary rock 

layers (strata). These strata are exposed 

in many places along the Mississippi 

River, especially along its high bluffs. 

Sediment constantly breaks away from 

the land and is deposited downstream 

by the river. Over time, a distinct 

drainage pattern develops, which often 

looks like branches on a tree.

Sediment transport

Prior to 1900, the Mississippi River 

transported an estimated 400 million 

metric tons of sediment per year 

from the interior of the United States 

to coastal Louisiana and the Gulf of 

Mexico. However, during the last 

two decades, the Mississippi River 

transported an average of just 145 

million metric tons per year. 

This reduction of sediment was the 

result of engineering modifi cation 

of the Mississippi, Missouri, and 

Ohio Rivers and their tributaries by 

dams, meander cutoffs, river-training 

structures, bank revetments, and soil 

erosion control programs in the areas 

drained by them. 

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

This lesson addresses earth science and physical 

science standards, specifi cally, concentrating on 

the history of the earth and the physical processes 

that shaped it.
UNIT 1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | 27

Lesson 1.2

Rock Cycle

Our planet is a dynamic place. 

Even something as solid as the 

earth is constantly undergoing 

change through the formation, 

weathering, erosion, and 

reformation of rock. This process 

is called the rock cycle. It 

produces three major types of 

rock: igneous, metamorphic, and 

sedimentary.

IGNEOUS ROCKS form when 

magma (molten rock deep within 

the earth) cools and hardens. When 

magma erupts onto the surface 

it is called lava. The chemical 

composition of the magma and 

its cooling rate determine the 

fi nal igneous rock type. Basalt and 

obsidian are two common types of 

igneous rock.

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS are formed 

from pieces of pre-existing rocks 

worn away from weathering and 

erosion of once-living organisms. 

Called sediment, these small pieces 

may be transported and deposited 

elsewhere by rivers.

As the sediment deposits 

accumulate on the Earth’s surface, 

they form distinctive layers. 

As these layers pile up and the 

pressure increases, they become 

lithifi ed (cemented or otherwise 

consolidated into rock), forming 

sedimentary rock. 

METAMORPHIC ROCKS are 

rocks that have been substantially 

changed from their original 

igneous, sedimentary, or earlier 

metamorphic form. 

Metamorphic rocks form when 

rocks deep inside the earth are 

subjected to extreme heat and 

pressure, recrystallizing them 

into metamorphic rock. If the 

temperature and pressure become 

high enough, the metamorphic rock 

melts and becomes magma again, 

completing the rock cycle.

Volcanic 

eruption

Magma

Sediment

Metamorphic 

Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Lava

Types of Rocks
UNIT 1

28 | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 1.2 Activity 1

Do This

Have students create a sediment bottle using leaves, small 

sticks, rocks (various sizes), dirt, and water (you can also add 

small pieces of litter). Let the bottle settle for approximately 30 

minutes and see what settles (time depends on soil type and 

materials used). Use the Upper Grade Level Activity worksheet 

on page 31 as an extension for this lesson. 

Ask students the following questions:

1. Which items fl oat to the top?

2. Which items sink to the bottom? 

3. What caused the items to settle? 

4. What happens to the sticks?

 (This question could lead to a discussion on how fossils 

are formed.)

5. Think about the river. What do you think happens if lots of 

these items fall into the river? 

 (You could also discuss how water velocity, and the size and 

weight of items contribute to the sediment layer at the point 

of entry as well as determining which items continue to fl ow 

downstream.)

6. Why do you think the Mississippi River is called the Big 

Muddy? What makes it unique? 

Variations on the sediment bottle contents:

• Use dirt collected in the schoolyard or brought from home.

• Add different kinds of litter to the bottle, such as small pieces 

of plastic bag, small pieces of newspaper, trash bag tie, 

pieces of candy wrapper, etc.

• Small group activity: Fill three bottles with different soil 

types (sand, silt, and clay) and discuss why certain types of 

soil settle faster (particulate size).

Create a 

 Sediment Bottle

Grades

5–6

Individual or 

group activity

Do ahead: Gathering 

materials ahead of time 

and sorting them by 

size will shorten the 

lesson time, but isn’t as 

much fun.

What you’ll need

• Clear 2-liter bottle (big 

enough to insert various 

sized rocks) with a cap

• Funnel (roll up paper to 

make a funnel)

• Dirt, leaves, small sticks 

and rocks (various sizes)

• Water

• Small pieces of litter 

(variation)

• Activity worksheets

(pages 30-31)

Teacher 

 Tip
UNIT 1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | 29

Lesson 1.2

Here's how it works

Gather all your materials and 

then fi ll the clear 2-liter bottle 

about 3⁄4 full with water.

Cap the bottle and shake. 

Notice how the water gets 

cloudy or muddy.

Set aside and do not 

disturb the bottle.

This is what the bottle should 

look like after approximately 

20–30 minutes.

This is what the bottle 

should look like after 

1 hour.

Spoon the dirt, sticks, leaves, 

rocks, and litter (if using) into 

the bottle.

1 3

4a 4b 4c

2
30 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Create a Sediment Bottle

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Create a sediment bottle using leaves, sticks, rocks, dirt, and water 

Materials needed: clear 2-liter bottle with cap, spoon, dirt, leaves, small sticks, rocks of 

various sizes, and water.

1 Fill a clear 2-liter bottle about 3⁄4 full with water.

2 Spoon the dirt, sticks, leaves, and rocks, into the bottle.

3 Cap the bottle and shake. Notice how the water gets cloudy.

4 Set aside and do not disturb the bottle.

5 Observe contents after 1 min., 15 min., 30 min., 1 hour, 1 day. 

Record Observations

1. Which items fl oat to the top? 

________________________________________________________________________________

2. Which items sink to the bottom?

________________________________________________________________________________

3. What caused the items to settle?

________________________________________________________________________________

4. What happened to the sticks?

________________________________________________________________________________

5. What do you think happens if lots of these items fall into the river?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

6. Why do you think the Mississippi River is called the Big Muddy? 

What makes it unique? 

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 31

What did you observe? Did you see erosion happening?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Built from the Bottom Up

Sediment Strata

Name _______________________________________ Date _________________

Analyze and Hypothesize Extension

Review the observations you recorded for the Movers & Scrapers: Glacial 

Erosion activity. Now that you know more about sediment, develop 

hypotheses (proposed explanations for observable phenomena) based on the 

following questions:

1. What did you observe about the sediment in the glacial erosion activity?

2. How many types of erosion are there? What type caused the rock erosion 

that happened in the glacial erosion activity?
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 1

Lesson 1.2

32 | 1.2 Built from the Bottom Up: Sediment Strata | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 Career launch

Invite a local 

geologist to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Be a schoolyard geologist

Learn how to collect and describe 

rocks with the U.S. Geological 

Survey. Visit www.usgs.gov and 

search keywords collecting rocks

and describing what you see. 

Create your own fossils

Make your own fossils out of 

mud. Find instructions from the 

USGS online at www.usgs.gov. 

Search keywords mud fossils. 

Get outside!

Find a place near you where 

layers of sediment are visible 

(hills cut by roadways often make 

good examples) and discuss how 

sediment layers are formed and 

what they tell scientists about the 

age of the earth. 

Learn more online

Learn about rocks and minerals 

from the National Park Service. 

Go to www.nature.nps.gov and 

search keywords: rocks and 

minerals.

Learn about sediment from 

the U.S. Geological Survey. Go 

to www.usgs.gov and search 

keyword: sediment.

Learn about the sediment 

thickness of the world’s 

oceans from NOAA National 

Geophysical Data Center 

(NGDC) (www.ngdc.noaa.gov).

Search keyword: sediment

Bluffs of the Mississippi River 

Great limestone bluffs rise up abruptly 

along the Mississippi River from the 

confl uence of the Missouri and Illinois 

Rivers north to Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

More than 450 million years, ago ancient 

Extension Suggestions

seas deposited layers of sediment. 

Usually yellow or light grey, limestone is 

a sedimentary rock composed of calcium 

carbonate deposited by the remains of 

marine animals and often contains fossils.

Bluffs are visible along the meeting of the 

Great Rivers Scenic Byway. The Vadalabene 

Bike Trail parallels the byway between Alton, 

Illinois and the Pere Marquette State Park. 
UNIT 1

Going with the Flow:

The Ups and Downs of the Water Cycle

Introduction

In Lesson 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs of 

the Water Cycle, students study the properties of water and 

learn how the water cycle affects the Mississippi River. 

They also conduct an evaporation experiment and record 

their fi ndings.

Background

Water power

Pure water is colorless, 

odorless, and tasteless. 

Although it seems like a very 

simple substance, water is 

vital for all life on Earth. It is 

everywhere: in our bodies, in 

the air as water vapor, and in 

the ground as soil moisture. 

Where there is water, there is 

life. Where water is scarce, life 

is a struggle. 

Although 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, most 

of it—97%—is salt water. Of the remaining three percent 

of water that is fresh, most —70%—is locked in the polar 

ice caps and in glaciers. Less than one thousandth of one 

percent of the Earth’s water is available on the surface in 

lakes and rivers. 

Lesson 1.3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs ...Water Cycle | 33

 Unit 1 goal

Introduce students to the 

Mississippi River Watershed 

and explore how it made 

its mark on the country’s 

ecosystems and commerce

 Lesson goal

Learn the many ways the 

water cycle affects the 

Mississippi River

 Lesson objectives

• Defi ne geographic terms 

related to the Mississippi 

River water cycle

• Discuss the water cycle 

• Identify some of the 

impacts of the water cycle 

on the river 

 Educational standards

• Earth Science

• Physical Science

• Science in Personal and 

Social Perspectives

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• USGS Water Use poster 

• 2 glasses (glass or plastic)

• Water 

• Grease pencil (so you can 

erase with a cloth) 

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 30 min.

• Activity: 20 min. (plus 1 to 

2 weeks for observation)

 What’s next!

Learn about the Mississippi 

River and its tributaries

This lesson addresses earth science and 

physical science standards, specifi cally, 

concentrating on the history of the earth 

and the physical processes that shaped it.

This lesson addresses earth science and 

Saline

(oceans)

97%

Ground water

30.1%

Icecaps and glaciers

68.7%

Lakes

87%

Wetlands 

11%

Rivers 

2%

Earth’s Water 100%

Other 

.9%

Freshwater 3 % of 100%

Fresh surface water 

.0009% of 100%
UNIT 1

The Hydrologic Cycle

Water is found throughout the biosphere. The 

process of water moving through the environment 

is referred to as the water, or hydrologic, cycle. 

Water heats, rises into the atmosphere, forms 

clouds, falls as precipitation, and then returns to 

the ocean by way of rivers.

Thanks to the water cycle, our planet’s water supply 

is constantly moving from one place to another and 

from one form to another. However, the water cycle 

is a closed system. The amount of water on Earth 

remains the same. The water in your body has been 

used and reused by organisms throughout history. 

Although the amount and duration of water that 

falls as rain or snow varies depending on the 

season or the location, the water cycle is constant. 

We cannot make more water, which means there is 

a limited supply.

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS).

34 | 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs ...Water Cycle | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 1.3

Aquifer

Water stored in underground rock 

layers. It flows from the ground as 

a spring or is pumped out by wells.

Water table line

groundas

ut by wells.

Ground water saturates 

soil and feeds wells and 

springs, flows to the river. 

Mississippi River

Tributary 

flow to the river

Precipitation

Water falls from 

clouds as rain, hail, 

sleet, or snow.

Evaporation

Water is released back 

into the atmosphere 

when it changes from a 

liquid to water vapor.

Agricultural 

run-off

Transpiration

Release of water 

vapor from plants.

Condensation

Formation of liquid drops from 

water vapor, such as dew.

Infiltration

Flow of water 

from the surface 

to underground.

The Water Cycle
UNIT 1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs ...Water Cycle | 35

Lesson 1.3

Our bodies

Water is a major part of all living things. 

In fact, the most abundant substance 

in any organism is water. In some 

organisms, up to 90% of their body 

weight comes from water. 

Our bodies need water to carry out 

many important and complex chemical 

reactions that all life must perform in 

order to survive. Water also circulates 

nutrients, carries waste away, and

controls body temperature. 

Although humans can survive for many 

weeks without eating food, we can only 

last a few days without drinking water. 

Each day humans must replace 2.4 liters 

of water, some through drinking and the 

rest from the water in the foods we eat.

• More than 60% of the human body is water

• Brain is composed of 70% water

• Lungs are nearly 90% water

• Lean muscle tissue contains about 

75% water

• Body fat contains 10% water 

• Bone has 22% water

• About 83% of our blood is water

It is possible that the water in your body 

was once inside of a Tyrannosaurus rex, 

George Washington, or Mark Twain. 

Properties of water

Water can take three forms: liquid, solid, 

and gas. We drink its liquid form to sustain 

life. Because it is the universal solvent, 

we use its liquid form to wash dishes and 

ourselves. Massive sheets of ice, the solid 

form of water, cap our globe. Steam, the 

gaseous form of water, is powerful enough 

to move engines. 

• Water freezes at 32° Fahrenheit (F) and boils at 

212° F at sea level. At higher levels it boils at a 

lower temperature: 186.4° F at 14,000 feet.

• As a solid, water is less dense than its liquid 

form, which is why ice fl oats. 

• Water can absorb a lot of heat before it 

begins to get hot. This is why water is valuable 

to industries and in your car’s 

radiator as a coolant.

• Water has a very high 

surface tension. In other 

words, water is sticky 

and elastic, and tends 

to clump together in 

drops rather than 

spread out in a 

thin fi lm.
UNIT 1

Lesson 1.3

36 | 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs ...Water Cycle | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Discussion (approximate lesson time 

30 minutes)

Have students view the fl ash animation of the 

water cycle from the EPA’s web site. Go to 

www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/fl ash/fl ash_

watercycle.html

Note: fl ash software must be installed in order for this animation to work. Contact 

your school’s Information Technology department if you have problems with the fi le.

Defi ne and discuss the concepts and terms 

relating to the water cycle.

Introduce the idea of a balanced ecosystem and 

discuss natural and human processes that affect 

it, such as precipitation, fl oods, food chain, 

agriculture, and pollution. 

Water supply and demand

Download and print the USGS Water Use poster 

from www.usgs.gov. Search keywords water 

use poster and choose the Water Use 

Poster for Elementary School Students

(available in color and black and white).

Ask students to think about the small 

amount of fresh water on our planet and 

what it might be like to not have clean 

drinking water piped into our houses. 

Explain that some children in other 

countries spend hours each day helping 

their families carry water from streams 

and wells to their homes and then boil 

or treat the water (through chemical or 

solar processes) to make it safe to drink. 

Earth’s population grows by about 83 

million people each year, which means 

the demand for water continues to grow. 

However, the amount of water on the 

planet does not change. 

Ask students for ideas on conserving water, such as: 

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth

Take shorter showers

Water the plants/lawn in very early hours of the 

day before it gets hot

Visit the EPA’s Water Sense Kids web site 

for more ideas, or ask students to research 

the site themselves: 

www.epa.gov/watersense/kids/index.html

Need to Know

• Water cycle: The continuous 

movement of water on, above, 

and below the surface of the 

Earth. Water can change states 

among liquid, vapor, and ice at 

various places in the water cycle. 

Also called the hydrologic cycle.

• Atmosphere: The layer of gases 

that make up the air around 

Earth. The air includes gases 

that plants and animals need 

to breathe.

• Humidity: Amount of water 

vapor (moisture) in the air. 

See the water cycle illustration on 

page 34 for more vocabulary words 

and concepts. 

What can I do

to SAVE water?
UNIT 1

It is as old as the Earth itself. See the Background section of this lesson for more information.

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs ...Water Cycle | 37

Lesson 1.3

Prepare students for this activity by reviewing the properties 

of water and the evaporation defi nition. Explain that the rate of 

evaporation depends on heat, humidity (amount of water vapor in 

the air), and air movement.

Do This

1. Fill each glass with 250 ml (8.5 ounces) of water. Mark the water 

lines with the grease pencil. Write the date next to the line.

2. Place one glass in a warm, bright area. Place the other glass in a 

cool, dark area.

3. Visit the glasses every 48 hours for a period of one to two 

weeks, depending on how much evaporation you want students 

to observe and how many data points you want them to record. 

4. At each visit, mark the water line on each glass and write the 

date next to the line.

5. At the end of the observation period, compare glasses.

Create an Evaporation Experiment

Grades

5–6

Individual or 

group activity

What you’ll need

• 2 glasses (glass or plastic)

• 500 ml (17 ounces) of water 

• Grease pencil (so you can 

erase with a cloth)

• Activity worksheets 

(pages 38-39)

Activity

Plus 1 to 2 weeks of 

observation

The sediment 

bottle from the 

previous lesson 

could be used 

for this lesson. 

However, it could take longer 

for the water to evaporate due 

to smaller neck. Do not use the 

bottle caps.

Teacher 

 Tip

Answer Key for Bonus question on page 39:

This glass was set in 

the warm, bright area

2 days 2 days

4 days 4 days

6 days 6 days

8 days 8 days

This glass was set in 

the cool, dark area
38 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

The Ups and Downs 

of the Water Cycle

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Defi ne

Water cycle or hydrologic cycle _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Atmosphere ___________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Precipitation ___________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Evaporation ___________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

What are the positive and negative effects of precipitation on the river? 

Think about the river food chain, agriculture, and fl oods. Are there other things 

you should think about?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 39

1. Which one has more water? ____________________________________

 ________________________________________________________________

2. Did more water evaporate from the glass in the warm area? Why?

 ________________________________________________________________

 ________________________________________________________________

 ________________________________________________________________

3. What other factors infl uence the rate of evaporation? How?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Since you have used a grease pencil, you can take a cloth and wipe off the markings. 

Then you can redo the experiment and see if you get the same results.

Bonus Question!

Fill a glass half full with water and put it on the table in front of you. Take a good, long 

look at the water. Can you guess how old it is? ___________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Create an evaporation experiment

Materials needed: 2 glasses (can be clear plastic), 500 ml (17 ounces) of water, grease 

pencil (so you can erase with a cloth)

1 Fill each glass halfway with 250 ml 

(8.5 ounces) of water. Mark the water 

lines with the grease pencil. Write 

the date next to the line.

2 Place one glass in a warm, bright 

area. Place the other glass in a cool, 

dark area.

3 Visit the glasses every 48 hours 

for a period of one to two 

weeks, depending on how much 

evaporation you want to observe 

and how many data points you want 

to record.

4 At each visit, mark the water line on 

each glass and write the date next to 

the line.

5 At the end of the observation period, 

compare glasses.
UNIT 1

40 | 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs ...Water Cycle | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 1.3

Depending on grade level, have the students:

• Identify questions that can be answered 

through scientifi c investigations.

• Design and conduct a scientifi c 

investigation.

• Use appropriate tools and techniques to 

gather, analyze, and interpret data.

• Develop descriptions, explanations, 

predictions, and models using evidence.

• Think critically and logically to describe 

the relationships between evidence and 

explanations.

• Recognize and analyze alternative 

explanations and predictions.

• Communicate scientifi c procedures 

and results.

• Use mathematics to quantify in all results 

of scientifi c inquiry.

Ask students to read the abstract from 

an article in the scientifi c journal Water 

International and form groups of three or 

four to consider the opinion of an expert 

in hydrology.

CONSULT 

THE EXPERT

Grades

7–12

Individual activity

Hydrologists study the 

movement, distribution, 

and quality of water by 

performing extensive fi eld 

and laboratory research. 

They use a variety of 

instruments to measure 

water temperature, 

pH, dissolved oxygen, 

conductivity, turbidity, 

velocity, salinity, and 

other properties. 

Upper Grade Level Activity
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 41

What hydrologic trends does the abstract describe?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

What hypotheses (proposed explanations for observable phenomena) can you 

make based on the information provided?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

The Ups and Downs of the Water Cycle

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Read, Analyze and Hypothesize

Read the abstract (short summary) from an article in the scientifi c journal Water 

International and form groups of three or four to analyze and discuss 

the hydrologic trends described.

Abstract 

The Upper Mississippi River Basin has 

experienced considerable hydrologic 

change in the last two centuries as a result 

of removal of wetland areas, deforestation 

and subsequent reforestation, changes 

in agricultural practices, urbanization, 

navigation projects, and the construction 

of levees. 

It is popularly accepted that the humaninduced modifi cations to the river and its 

watersheds have increased the amount of 

fl ow in the Mississippi River, particularly 

during fl ooding events. Long-term stream 

gage records in the Upper Mississippi River 

Basin were analyzed to determine trends 

in stream fl ows and fl ooding. Over the 130 

years of gaging there have been various 

periods in which the frequency and 

magnitude of fl oods have fl uctuated. Trends 

in average fl ow and fl ooding are strongly 

correlated to coincident increases in average 

annual precipitation. 

For many portions of the watershed, 

precipitation and stream fl ows over the 

last three decades have been higher than 

any earlier period on record. Outside of the 

dominant infl uence of climate variation, 

only one major change on Mississippi 

River fl ood discharges is observed. Flood 

control reservoirs in the Missouri River 

watershed appear to produce a 10 percent 

reduction in the average fl ood peak and 

average fl ood volume for the Mississippi 

River at St. Louis, Missouri. 

Knapp, H. Vernon. “Hydrologic Trends in the Upper Mississippi River 

Basin.” Water International 19, no. 4 (December 1994); 199–206.
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 1

Learn more online

Learn about water from the

U.S. Geological Survey

Go to www.usgs.gov and search 

keywords: water science for 

schools and learn more 

about water

Learn about conserving water 

from the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA).Go to 

www.epa.gov and search 

keywords: watersense kids

Learn more about the Mississippi 

River and its major tributaries 

from the National Great Rivers 

Research & Education Center 

(www.ngrrec.org).

Learn about World Water Day 

(www.worldwaterday.org).

Lesson 1.3

42 | 1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs ...Water Cycle | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 Career launch

Invite a local 

hydrologist or 

climatologist to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to research 

these fi elds and prepare questions in 

advance. See A1: Career Launch on 

page 312 for career information and 

professional associations.

Water weight

Ask the students to fi gure how 

much one cup of water weighs. 

One gallon is 8.33 pounds (1 

gallon = 4 quarts = 16 cups).

Grades 7–12 extension

Have students above 6th grade 

research climate change from 

primary sources, such as U.S. 

Geological Survey (www.

usgs.gov) and Environmental 

Protection Agency (www.epa.gov). 

Discuss climate change

Discuss climate change locally 

and globally and ask students 

to research evidence of climate 

change in their community. Have 

students begin their research 

at the EPA’s Climate Change 

Kids Site at www.epa.gov/

climatechange/kids

Contaminated Water

The World Health Organization 

(WHO) estimates that 1.7 million 

people die each year from 

contaminated water, most of whom 

are children in developing nations. 

WHO is a specialized agency of the 

United Nations (UN) headquartered 

in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The most common 

causes of waterborne 

diseases include:

Salmonella

E. coli

Cholera bacteria

Extension Suggestions
Lesson 1.4

UNIT 1

One Trunk with

Many Branches:

Mapping the Mississippi River 

Watershed

Introduction

Lesson 1.4 One Trunk with Many Branches: Mapping the 

Mississippi River Watershed explores the entire watershed, 

focusing fi rst on the Mississippi River Valley and its 

communities and then following the river’s tributaries to 

learn about the watershed as a whole through classroom 

mapping activities. This lesson includes two mapping 

activities that build on one another: Tributaries of the 

Mississippi River and Basin Exploration. 

The headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, Minnesota. 

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | 43

 Unit 1 goal

Introduce students to the 

Mississippi River Watershed 

and explore how it made 

its mark on the country’s 

ecosystems and commerce

 Lesson goal

Learn the importance of the 

Mississippi River Watershed and 

the communities located along 

the Upper Mississippi River

 Lesson objectives

• Defi ne geographic terms 

related to the Mississippi River 

• Identify states, tributaries, and 

major cities along the Upper 

Mississippi River

• Discuss the impact of the 

waterways on people and 

commerce 

 Educational standards

• Physical Science

• Life Science

• Math

• Geography

• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Laminated wall map

• Colored dry erase markers 

(including blue)

• Colored highlighters or pencils

• Paper 

 How long it will take

• Activity 1: 1 hour

• Activity 2: 1 hour

 What’s next!

Explore the ecosystems of the 

Upper Mississippi River
UNIT 1

44 | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 1.4

Background

The Mississippi River fl ows 2,340 

miles (3,705 kilometers) from its 

source in Minnesota to its mouth in 

the Gulf of Mexico. The headwaters of 

the Mississippi River is Lake Itasca in 

northwestern Minnesota. A small glacial 

lake, it sits 1,475 feet (450 meters) above 

sea level. The lake is fed by a number of 

smaller streams, sometimes considered 

the river’s source.

U.S. states that border the Upper 

Mississippi River: Minnesota, Wisconsin, 

Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois.

Wisconsin

• Nickname: Badger State

• Major industries: Dairy Farming, Paper 

Production, Nonelectric Machinery 

Manufacturing (Engines, Turbines, Farm 

Machinery, etc.) 

Minnesota 

• Nickname: North Star State, Gopher State, 

Land of 10,000 Lakes

• Major industries: Farming, Finance, 

Technology

Illinois

• Nickname: Prairie State, Land of Lincoln

• Major industries: Coal Mining, 

Agriculture, Oil

Iowa

• Nickname: Hawkeye State

• Major industries: Corn, 

Soybeans, Livestock

Missouri

• Nickname: Show-me State

• Major industries: Transportation Equipment 

(including Automobile Manufacturing and 

Auto Parts), Beer and Beverages, Defense, 

Agriculture, and Aerospace Technology

Mississippi River Watershed

The third largest drainage basin in the 

world, the Mississippi River Watershed 

covers about 40% of the continental 

United States and drains 31 states 

and two Canadian provinces before 

emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 

100 miles (160 km) downstream from 

New Orleans, Louisiana. 

MINNESOTA

Twin Cities: 

Minneapolis 

and St. Paul

Prairie Du Chien

St. Croix River

Wisconsin 

River

Illinois River

Rock River

Kaskaskia River

Ohio River

Lake Superior Lake Michigan

Mississippi 

River

Minnesota 

River

Des Moines 

River

Missouri 

River

Dubuque

Quad Cities

Chicago

Peoria

St. Louis

Cairo

IOWA

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

St

W

Illi

ver

Ka

Oh

pi

Paul

Minne

es 

M

R

WISCONSIN

Keokuk
UNIT 1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | 45

Lesson 1.4

The upper and lower portions of 

the Mississippi are very different 

in hydrology and landscape. The 

communities along the upper and lower 

portions of the Mississippi experience 

different opportunities and challenges. 

Downstream of the confl uence with 

the Missouri River at St. Louis, the 

Lower Mississippi River is a deeper, 

free-fl owing river, making it easier 

for river travel and navigation. The 

Upper Mississippi River is shallower 

and subject to greater fl uctuations in 

water fl ow, requiring locks and dams to 

maintain a navigable water channel.

Need to Know

• Tributary: A stream or river that fl ows into a 

main stem river rather than fl owing directly 

into a sea, ocean, or lake. Tributaries and the 

main stem river drain the surrounding land, 

called the drainage basin, of its surface water 

and groundwater. Some of the major tributaries 

of the Upper Mississippi River include (see A2: 

Major Tributaries of the Mississippi River on 

page 314 for a complete list):

- Arkansas River

- Des Moines River

- Illinois River

- Kaskaskia River

- Minnesota River

- Missouri River

- Ohio River

- St. Croix River

- Wisconsin River

• Confl uence: The place where two or more 

bodies of water meet together, usually 

referring to one or more tributaries joining a 

main stem. Major cities are often located at a 

confl uence.

• Watershed: A region or area of land where 

water from rain or snow drains downhill into 

body of water, such as a river, lake, wetland, 

sea, or ocean. It includes both the streams and 

rivers that convey the water as well as the land 

surfaces from which water drains into those 

channels. Also called a drainage basin.

- The land in a drainage basin acts like 

a funnel, collecting all the water within 

the watershed and channeling it into a 

waterway. Watersheds are separated from 

adjacent basins by a drainage divide, usually 

a ridge, hill or mountain range. 

- The topography of the drainage basin, along 

with its shape, size, soil type, and land use, 

determine how much water reaches the river 

as well as how long it takes to get there.

- Drainage basins have been historically 

important for determining territorial 

boundaries, including state lines, 

particularly in regions where trade by 

water has been important.

• Watercraft: A vehicle, vessel, or craft designed 

to move across (or through) water, including 

saltwater and freshwater, for pleasure, 

recreation, physical exercise, commerce, 

transport, and military missions. Professional 

types include barges, tugboats, towboats, 

paddle wheelers, and trawlers. Recreational 

boats include fi shing boats, canoes, kayaks, 

and personal watercraft (PWC).

• Bridge: A structure built to span a valley, road, 

body of water, or other physical obstacle, for 

the purpose of providing passage over the 

obstacle. See A3: Bridge Crossings of the 

Upper Mississippi River on page 315.

Examples 

of different 

drainage basin 

formations.

o a

tl
UNIT 1

46 | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 1.4

Key Communities

Twin Cities

Minnesota’s two largest cities, Minneapolis 

and St. Paul, are often called the Twin 

Cities. Both cities developed along a 

series of stone bluffs at the confl uence 

of the Mississippi, Minnesota, and 

St. Croix Rivers. 

Early European settlers chose the area 

because it was the best place below St. 

Anthony Falls to unload boats. It was also 

one of the few places where the Mississippi 

River could be crossed by train, which 

helped fuel its growth. 

The economy of the Twin Cities was—

and continues to be—based on farming 

(corn, soybeans, sugar beets, wheat, 

dairy products), paper products, mining, 

and manufacturing. However, as these 

industries declined in the past few decades, 

it has transitioned to service, technology, 

and fi nance economies. 

Several major corporations are headquartered in or near St. Paul including 

Ecolab, a chemical and cleaning product 

company; Securian Financial Group Inc.; 

Lawson Software; Gander Mountain, a 

retailer of sporting goods; and the 3M 

Company. Five Fortune 500 company 

headquarters are in Minneapolis: Target 

Corporation, U.S. Bancorp, Xcel Energy, 

Ameriprise Financial, and Thrivent Financial 

for Lutherans. 

Prairie du Chien 

Located near the confl uence of the 

Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, Prairie 

du Chien was settled by French-Canadian 

fur trappers, who established a trading 

post there in 1685. It is one of Wisconsin’s 

oldest communities. 

Today, Prairie du Chien is one of 

Wisconsin’s busiest ports. Two railroads 

and a small two-runway municipal airport 

make the city a shipping hub for the 

surrounding area. 

Tourism, retail, service, and manufacturing employ most of Prairie du 

Chien’s residents. State and local 

government, which include the 

courthouse and offi ces for Crawford 

County and a state penitentiary, are also 

major employers.

Quad Cities 

The Quad Cities includes communities 

on both sides of the Mississippi River 

near its confl uence with the Rock River: 

Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Moline, 

and East Moline, Illinois. The area was 

originally inhabited by Native Americans 

of the Sac and Fox tribes. 

As river traffi c grew, so did the Quad 

Cities, which became a crossroads for 

transport. The Rock Island Rapids made 

navigation by steamboats diffi cult, so 

travelers often had to wait in the area 

before continuing their journey, and trade 

goods had to be stored in warehouses. 

The fi rst railroad bridge across the 

Mississippi River was built in the 

Quad Cities.

In 1848, John Deere founded the 

company that revolutionized the farming 

industry in Moline. The Quad Cities is 

also home to other large corporations, 

including International Harvester, 

Caterpillar, and Alcoa, the world’s thirdlargest producer of aluminum.
UNIT 1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | 47

Lesson 1.4

Keokuk 

Named for the Sac Chief, Keokuk, Iowa, is 

located at the confl uence of the Des Moines 

and Mississippi Rivers. Early development 

of the area centered on the fur trade with 

the Native Americans. As steamboat traffi c 

increased on the Mississippi more European 

settlers moved to the region.

When the Keokuk Lock and Dam began 

operation in August 1913, it was the largest 

single-powerhouse electric generating 

plant in the world. It was also the longest 

dam in the world, had the longest 

transmission line, and the highest voltage. 

The dam is still in use today.

St. Louis

Established just south of the confl uence 

of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in 

1764, St. Louis, Missouri, was built around 

the French fur trade. As steamboat traffi c 

increased in the 1800s, St. Louis grew in 

size and prominence. 

A major metropolitan city, St. Louis, 

Missouri, has many well-known U.S. 

corporations, including Fortune 500 

companies such as Anheuser-Busch 

Breweries, Playtex, and Schick. St. Louis is 

also the world headquarters of Energizer, 

the battery and fl ashlight company, and 

Boeing Aircraft.

There are several large companies in 

the suburbs around St. Louis, including 

Hardee’s and Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s 

corporate headquarters. Charter 

Communications, the nation’s fourth largest 

broadband communications company, is 

also headquartered in suburban St. Louis.

Across the Mississippi River from St. Louis 

are the cities of Alton and Grafton, which 

are also located at the confl uence with the 

Illinois River. Developed as a river town in 

1818, Alton was once a center for heavy 

industry and manufacturing. Today one of 

the main industries in Alton and nearby 

Grafton is tourism.

Cairo 

Cairo, Illinois, was founded at the 

confl uence of the Ohio and Mississippi 

Rivers and grew with the completion of 

the Illinois Central Railroad in the 1850s. It 

became such an important steamboat port 

in the 19th century that the government 

located a customs house there. However, 

as river trade began to decline so did 

Cairo’s economy and population. As in 

other communities of the South, racial 

discrimination led to intense civil rights 

battles in the 1960s, including a 10-yearlong boycott of white-owned businesses.

This lesson incorporates a variety of standards, 

from physical and life science to math and 

geography. It also incorporates language arts. It 

uses the concepts and skills learned earlier in this 

unit to understand issues relating to the watershed 

from personal and social perspectives. 

 Steamboat transport was a major industry, in terms 

of both passengers and freight, along the Mississippi 

River until the end of the fi rst decade 

of the 20th century. 

 The fi rst bridge across the Mississippi River was built 

in 1855. It spanned the river in Minneapolis where the 

current Hennepin Avenue Bridge is located. 

 The fi rst railroad bridge across the Mississippi was 

built in 1856. It spanned the river between the Rock 

Island Arsenal and Davenport, Iowa.

This lesson incorporates a variety of standards lesson incorporates a variety of standards, 
UNIT 1

48 | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 1.4 Activity 1 

Students will create a legend and add the names of cities, 

tributaries, state parks, mountain ranges, wildlife, industry, and 

bridges. Legend will include icons and pictures.

Get Ready

Have students research the following states and communities 

along the Upper Mississippi River in preparation for this 

class activity: 

• Five states along the Upper Mississippi (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, 

Missouri, and Illinois) to learn the state bird, tree, fl ower, mammal, 

and fi sh for each one. This information is located in A4: Mississippi 

River Watershed States Chart on page 317. 

• Six communities along the Upper Mississippi River located at 

confl uences: Twin Cities, Minnesota; Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; 

Quad Cities, Iowa and Illinois; Keokuk, Iowa; St. Louis, Missouri; 

and Cairo, Illinois. Information on these communities is located in 

this lesson. 

Do This

Step 1: Place the watershed in spatial context

• Use the satellite image side of the wall map to show students the 

Mississippi River and its watershed. Use the map to introduce key 

concepts and vocabulary in the Need to Know section on page 45. 

Discuss the following:

- How waterways defi ned land areas and became state borders. 

- Importance of tributaries. How did they infl uence the movement 

of people, wildlife, and goods? 

- Importance of confl uences. Why did people settle here? 

Tribute to the 

 Mississippi River

What you’ll need

• Laminated wall map of the 

continental United States

• Student map activity 

worksheet (pages 50–51)

• Colored highlighters 

or pencils

• Colored dry erase 

markers (several colors 

including blue)

• Extra writing paper

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

Teacher 

Tip

Don’t erase the map when 

you fi nish this activity. The 

labels will be needed again 

for the next one.
UNIT 1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | 49

Lesson 1.4

Step 2: Identify the Mississippi River 

• Turn the map over to the line map side 

and ask students to identify the Mississippi 

River. Ask students which direction the 

river fl ows and highlight it (or ask a student 

to) in blue using the blue dry erase marker.

• Ask students to name some of the types of 

watercraft seen on the river. 

• Ask students to identify where the 

Mississippi River starts and highlight it 

with a blue dot at Lake Itasca.

• Start the map legend.

• Distribute the watershed map activity 

worksheet to students and have them do 

the same to their maps. 

Step 3: Identify nine major tributaries

• Ask students to identify nine major 

tributaries of the Mississippi River 

(Minnesota, St. Croix, Wisconsin, Rock, 

Des Moines, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and 

Arkansas Rivers). Highlight and label each 

tributary on the map. 

• Ask all students to highlight and label the 

tributaries on their individual maps.

Step 4: Identify the fi ve states along the 

Upper Mississippi River

• Identify the fi ve Upper Mississippi River 

states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, 

and Missouri) and label on wall map. Ask 

students to do the same to their maps.

• Ask students to identify state bird, tree, 

fl ower, animal, and fi sh for each of the 

fi ve states and write them on the wall map 

(Please refer to A4: Mississippi River 

Watershed States Chart on page 317). 

• Ask students to list these per state on a 

separate piece of paper. See page 57 for the answer key for the student 

worksheet for this activity.

Step 5: Identify and discuss six 

communities at confl uences along the 

Upper Mississippi River.

• Ask students to identify where the following 

six communities are located along the 

Upper Mississippi River and label them on 

the wall map: Twin Cities, Minnesota; Prairie 

du Chien, Wisconsin; Quad Cities, Iowa and 

Illinois; Keokuk, Iowa; St. Louis, Missouri; and 

Cairo, Illinois. Ask students to do the same to 

their maps.

• Discuss these communities in the context 

of their location at major confl uences:

- Twin Cities (Minneapolis and 

St. Paul), Minnesota, near the confl uence 

of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers

- Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, near the 

confl uence of the Wisconsin and 

Mississippi Rivers 

- Quad Cities (Davenport, Iowa; and Rock 

Island, Moline, and East Moline, Illinois) 

near the confl uence of the Rock and 

Mississippi Rivers

- Keokuk, Iowa, near the confl uence of the 

Des Moines and Mississippi Rivers

- St. Louis, Missouri, near the confl uence 

of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers

- Cairo, Illinois, at the confl uence of the 

Ohio and Mississippi Rivers

• Identify major bridges and discuss their 

importance for the movement of people and 

goods. See A3: Bridge Crossings on the Upper 

Mississippi River on page 315.

• Discuss the similarities and differences 

among the six communities and identify two 

major industries (import/export) for each.
50 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Name ________________________________________________ Date ________________

Complete the map and create a legend:

1. Highlight the Mississippi River in blue and then label it on your map. Add a blue 

dot where the Mississippi River begins. Start your map legend by adding a blue 

line and labeling it Mississippi River. 

2. Label the states along the Upper Mississippi River on your map.

3. Using a different color for each river, highlight and label the major tributaries of 

the Mississippi River and add them to the legend.

4. Label the major cities located at the confl uences on your map.

5. What major tributary of the Mississippi River is your school closest to? 

 _____________________________________________________________________________

6. What is the importance of tributaries in terms of migration of people, wildlife, 

and goods? ________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

One Trunkwith

Many Branches

Mapping the Mississippi River Watershed
www.OurMississippi.org 

| Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 51

Follow the instructions on the front of this sheet to complete the map below.

Legend
UNIT 1

52 | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 1.4 Activity 2 

What you’ll need

• Laminated wall map of the 

continental United States

• Student map activity 

worksheet (pages 54–55)

• Colored highlighters 

or pencils

• Colored dry erase 

markers (several colors 

including blue)

Grades

5–6

Class activity

Teacher 

Tip

Use the line map again 

with the labels from the 

last activity still on it. Tell 

students that they will 

now be looking at the 

entire watershed. 

This continuation of Activity 1 explains the importance 

and impact of the Mississippi River Watershed beyond the 

communities along its banks.

Students will create a legend and add the names of cities, 

tributaries, state parks, mountain ranges, wildlife, industry, and 

bridges. Legend will include icons and pictures.

Do This

Have students research the other 26 states in the entire 

Mississippi River Watershed in preparation for this class activity:

• Assign a state to each student in the class (if you have less 

than 26 students, have each student research two adjacent 

states) and learn the state bird, tree, fl ower, mammal, fi sh, 

and largest city for each one. See A4: Mississippi River 

Watershed States Chart on page 317.

• Review Activity 1 (page 48). The students will add to the 

wall map and their maps the six communities of the Upper 

Mississippi previously identifi ed in Activity 1.

Mississippi River

 Basin Exploration

Wisconsin has over 14,000 lakes and 7,446 streams and

rivers. If you stuck them end to end they'd stretch nearly

27,000 miles—enough to circle the whole planet.
UNIT 1

- Alabama (AL)

- Arkansas (AR)

- Colorado (CO)

- Georgia (GA)

- Illinois (IL)

- Indiana (IN)

- Iowa (IA)

- Kansas (KS)

- Kentucky (KY)

- Louisiana (LA)

- Maryland (MD)

- Michigan (MI)

- Minnesota (MN)

- Mississippi (MS)

- Missouri (MO)

- Montana (MT)

- Nebraska (NE)

- New Mexico (NM)

- New York (NY)

- North Carolina (NC)

- North Dakota (ND)

- Ohio (OH)

- Oklahoma (OK) 

- Pennsylvania (PA)

- South Dakota (SD)

- Tennessee (TN) 

- Texas (TX)

- Virginia (VA)

- West Virginia (WV)

- Wisconsin (WI)

- Wyoming (WY)

- Alberta (Canada)

- Saskatchewan 

(Canada)

Step 1: Identify all the states in the 

watershed

• Ask the students to count how many 

states are in the watershed. How 

many states border the Mississippi 

River? Why are other states included 

in the Mississippi River Watershed?

• Identify the 31 states and two 

Canadian provinces in the 

watershed. Use postal abbreviations 

to add states to the wall map. 

Ask students to do the same to 

their maps.

Step 2: Learn about each state

• Identify and add state bird, tree, 

fl ower, mammal, fi sh, and largest 

city for the states included in the 

watershed to the wall map. See A4: 

Mississippi River Watershed States 

Chart on page 317.

• Identify the two major industries 

(import/export) in those states. What 

part did the waterway play in the 

development of those industries?

Step 3: Identify some of the 

communities in the watershed

• Identify a few of the major cities 

in the watershed and discuss why 

people may have settled at these 

locations. Possible cities: Pittsburgh, 

Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee; 

Omaha, Nebraska; Kansas City, 

Kansas; New Orleans, Louisiana.

• Ask students to add the selected 

cities to the wall map.

Lesson 1.4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | 53

Rochester, Minnesota, is the home of the 

internationally famous Mayo Clinic, known for its 

achievements in the fi eld of medicine.

The tallest man in the world, Robert Wadlow, was 

born in Alton, Illinois, in 1918. He weighed 491 

pounds and stood 8 feet, 11 inches tall and wore 

a size 37 shoe. 

The shortest and steepest railroad in the U. S. is 

in Dubuque, Iowa. It is 296 feet long, and rises at 

an incline of 60 degrees to a height of 189 feet.

Bagnell Dam impounds the Osage River in the 

Ozarks, Missouri. It creates one of the largest 

artifi cial lakes in the world, Lake of the Ozarks, 

covering 65,000 acres of surface area. The dam 

was completed in 1931.

See page 57 for the answer key for the student 

worksheet for this activity.
54 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Name __________________________

 __________________________________________________Date 

1. Defi ne what a watershed is. ___________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

2. Highlight or draw the boundaries of the Mississippi River watershed on the 

topography map on the back of this sheet. 

3. Label all the states in the watershed on the map using the two-letter postal code 

abbreviation (IA = Iowa). How many are there? _________________________________

4. How many states border the Mississippi River? ________________________________

5. How have the tributaries in the Mississippi River watershed defi ned the land and 

the state borders? ____________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

 ______________________________________________________________________________

Mississippi River

Basin Exploration
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 55
Answer Key

56 | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Answers for Activity Sheets (pages 50–51, 54–55)

2. Label the states along the Upper Mississippi River on your map.

See next page. (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri)

3. Using a different color for each river, highlight and label the major tributaries of the Mississippi 

River and add them to the legend.

See next page

4. Label the major cities located at the confl uences on your map. 

Twin Cities, Prairie du Chien, Quad Cities, Keokuk, St. Louis, and Cairo

5. What tributary (stream or river) of the Mississippi River is your school closest to? 

Answers will vary.

6. What is the importance of tributaries in terms of migration of people, wildlife, and goods?

Answers will vary. Major cities are often located at the confl uences of large rivers because they 

provide access to water for drinking and irrigation as well as a transportation corridor for people 

and products. Wildlife use rivers to travel between winter and summer habitat. The wetland and 

riparian (river) habitats provide food and shelter along their journey.

1. Defi ne what a watershed is.

A region or area of land where water from rain or snow drains downhill into a body of water, 

such as a river, lake, wetland, estuary, sea, or ocean. It includes both the streams and rivers that 

convey the water as well as the land surfaces from which water drains into those channels. Also 

called a drainage basin.

2. Highlight or draw the boundaries of the Mississippi River watershed on the map on the back 

of this sheet.

See next page.

3. Label all the states in the watershed on the map using the two-letter postal code abbreviation 

(IA = Iowa). How many are there? 

There are 31 states. See next page.

4. How many states border the Mississippi River? 

10 states border the Mississippi River. (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, 

Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi)

5. How have the tributaries in the Mississippi River watershed defi ned the land and the 

state borders? 

Answers will vary. Many state boundaries are defi ned by rivers because they provide natural 

borders between communities.

One Trunk with Many Branches

Mapping the Upper Mississippi Watershed

Mississippi River Basin Exploration
WI

IA

MO

IL

MN ND

SD

NE

MT

CO

KS

NM OK

TX

AR

LA

AL

MS

TN

KY

IN OH

WV VA

NC

GA

MD

PA

NY WY

2 1

5

3

4

7

8

9

6

Twin 

Cities

Prairie du Chien

Keokuk

Quad Cities

St. Louis

Cairo

Answer Key

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | 57 Answers for Activity Sheets (pages 50–51, 54–55) Legend 1. Minnesota River 2. St. Croix River 3. Des Moines River 4. Missouri River 5. Wisconsin River 6. Rock River 7. Illinois River 8. Ohio River 9. Arkansas River
58 | 1.1 Movers and Scrapers: Upper Mississippi Glaciations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 1

Lesson 1.4

Step 1: Research the following 

historic cities located at confl uences 

on the Upper Mississippi River (Twin 

Cities, Minnesota; Prairie du Chien, 

Wisconsin; Quad Cities, Iowa and 

Illinois; Keokuk, Iowa; St. Louis, 

Missouri; and Cairo, Illinois) and 

answer the following questions:

• What year was each city founded? 

• What is the history of each city’s 

population and economic growth? 

Did it grow steadily since it was 

founded, or has its population and 

economy declined? 

• What was each city’s economic base 

when it was founded? What was its 

economic base in the mid-1800s and 

mid-1900s? What is it today?

• What are the past and present 

natural resources of each city? Are 

the same types of wildlife (animals, 

birds, fi sh) seen in each time period? 

If yes, why do you think that is? If no, 

why not?

• Why do you think some cities thrived 

and others did not? What makes each 

community unique?

Each state and most 

cities have web sites that 

provide basic information, 

often including its history 

and economy. Many cities 

also have chambers of 

commerce, which also have web sites. As 

informative as the Internet can be, keep 

in mind that the best place to start your 

research is in your school library.

Step 2: Complete the Comparison Table 

activity worksheet and use as a tool to 

compare and contrast the six cities.

• How are the cities similar?

• How are they different?

• What may be some reasons for the 

differences?

Step 3: Choose two of the cities 

and write a fi ve-paragraph comparison/

contrast essay based on the question, 

“What might the future bring for these 

cities along the river?”

Research Tip

Upper Grade Level Activity

Apply the skills and information learned in previous 

levels to analyze the past, present, and future of historic 

confl uence cities on the Upper Mississippi River discussed 

in Activity 2 on page 52–53. Research and compare all six 

communities and then choose two of them to write a fi veparagraph comparison/contrast essay. 

CHANGE OVER TIME

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Grades

7–12

Individual activity
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 59

Change Over TimeYesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Twin Cities (MN)

Minneapolis & St. Paul Prairie du Chien (WI) Quad Cities (IA and IL) Keokuk (IA) St. Louis (MO) Cairo (IL)

Year of 1st SettlementWhat type of settlement?

1819: Zebulon Pike takes control of Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, where Fort Snelling is eventually established

1786: Laclede set up a trading post

1800s

Commerce Fur tradingEcosystem

1900s

CommerceEcosystem

2000s

CommerceEcosystem

Name __________________________ Date ________________
content TBD: 1-3 more 

online extensions

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

Lesson 1.4

60 | 1.4 One Trunk ... Branches: Mapping ... Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 Career Launch

Invite a local 

cartographer to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. 

See A1: Career Launch on page 

312 for career information and 

professional associations.

Grades K-4 Extension

Where in these 50 states 

do you live? Use the large 

map to fi nd your home 

state. Do you have relatives 

living in other states? Find 

those states. 

Surf your watershed

Find out more about the 

watershed your community 

depends on. Learn your 

watershed address at the 

Environmental Protection 

Agency’s web site. Go to www.

epa.gov and search keywords surf 

your watershed.

Get out!

Try a new high-tech treasure hunt 

called geocaching.

State capitals

Identify state capitals for the fi ve 

states along the Upper Mississippi 

River and add them to the wall 

map and their individual maps.

Express yourself!

Journal and photograph your 

geocaching adventure.

Tributaries

Identify all the tributaries of the 

Mississippi River and some of 

the communities located at the 

confl uences.

Grades 7–12 extension

Have students identify a 

historic fi gure from one of the 

communities identifi ed in Activity 

1 and write a biography. 

Learn more online

Learn about watersheds with:

• U.S. Geological Survey

Go to www.usgs.gov and search 

keywords: watersheds

• Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA).Go to 

www.epa.gov and search 

keywords: watershed

Explore cities located at 

confl uences along the Upper 

Mississippi River:

- Minneapolis, MN: 

www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us

- Saint Paul, MN: 

www.ci.stpaul.mn.us

- Prairie Du Chien, WI: 

www.prairieduchien-wi.gov

- Quad Cities (Davenport, Iowa; 

and Rock Island, Moline, 

and East Moline, IL) 

www.visitquadcities.com

- Keokuk, IA: 

www.keokukiowatourism.org

- St. Louis, MO: 

http://.stlouis.missouri.org

- Cairo, IL: 

cairo.mcma.siu.edu

Learn about states from the 

Drexel University’s College of 

Information Science & Technology. 

Go to www.ipl.org, click on 

For Kids and then click Stately 

Knowledge

Learn about states bordering the 

Upper Mississippi River at:

www.illinois.gov

www.iowa.gov

www.minnesota.gov

www.missouri.gov

www.wisconsin.gov

A watershed is that area of land, a bounded 

hydrologic system, within which all living 

things are inextricably linked by their common 

water course and where, as humans settled, 

simple logic demanded that they become part 

of a community. – John Wesley Powell 

UNIT 1

Extension Suggestions
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 61

Teacher 

Tip

Safety 

Tip

Set a time limit for 

each step, if necessary.

Review safety rules before 

starting and remind students 

not to pick up something 

sharp or dangerous. 

Do This

1. Take students outdoors to an environment that 

sparks their imagination (schoolyard, park, 

nature center). 

2. Divide students into partners or teams and ask 

them to fi nd fi ve objects that inspire them to 

create something. If students need help, suggest 

categories instead of specifi c items. 

• Something that fl oats on the wind or water 

(seedpod, leaf, feather, twig)

• Something that sinks (pebble, rock)

• Something old (discarded paper, 

can, or water bottle)

• Something red, yellow, or blue

• Something smooth, rough, prickly, or fuzzy

3. Ask each team to tell what they found and 

what they plan to do with one or more of the 

items—tell a story, paint a picture, sing a song, 

write a play, plan a trip, take apart or build or 

invent something. 

4. If time allows, have students make (or start) 

their project. Schedule another class session to 

present their fi nal product, if necessary.

Bonus Activity!

Go with Your 

Creative Flow!
62 | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Unit 2

Upper Mississippi River 

Ecosystems

Unit 2: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems builds on the broad 

overview provided in Unit 1: Upper Mississippi River Watershed. 

Students build on the knowledge and skills gained about the 

geography, history, earth science, and physical science of the 

entire watershed to focus on the river itself in Unit 2. The wall map 

introduced in Unit 1 is used again in Unit 2 as the main conceptual 

thread running throughout the guide.

Unit 2 emphasizes life science and geography. In this unit, students 

explore what ecosystems are and how they are made up of living and 

non-living things. They investigate what a healthy river system is, 

how the river’s health is measured and monitored, and what happens 

to the river—as well as people, plants, and animals—if the river is 

not healthy. This unit also includes an in-depth exploration of bird 

migration, which helps prepare students for lessons and activities

on human history and migration in Unit 3: Mississippi River History 

and Culture. 
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | 63

2.0 Introduction to Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems: 

Pre- and Post-Assessments

Prepare students for learning about the Upper Mississippi River 

Ecosystems through pre-post assessments, key vocabulary, and 

outdoor exploration of their local ecosystems.

2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats 

of the Upper Mississippi River

Learn how living things are connected to their environment by 

creating a food chain checkers game and raising tadpoles.

2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migration and the 

Mississippi River Flyway

Take a birdwatching fi eld trip and recreate the Mississippi Flyway 

in the classroom or schoolyard.

2.3 Well River Checkup: Assessing the Health of the River

Investigate what happens to the river when you wash a car and test 

the effects of phosphates on pond water.

2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species of the Upper 

Mississippi River

Research endangered species in your state and create a wildlife garden 

in the schoolyard.

2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: How to Make a 

Positive Impact on Your Environment

Calculate your eco-footprint and read and learn the inspiring story of 

how one young person made a difference. 
UNIT 2

Unit 2 goal

Explore the ecosystems of the 

Mississippi River and how humans 

affect them

Lesson goal

Introduce students to the ecosystems of the Mississippi River 

Lesson objectives

• Defi ne terms related to ecosystems of the Mississippi River

• Study the ecosystems of Upper 

Mississippi River fl oodplain

• Investigate biotic and abiotic 

components outdoors

Educational standards

• Life Science

• Science as Inquiry

• Science in Personal and

Social Perspectives

• History and Nature of Science

What you’ll need

 • Binoculars

• Magnifying glass

• Pencil

• Field guide

• Journal

How long it will take

• Activity 1: 15 min.

• Discussion: 60-90 min.

• Activity 2: 30-45 min. 

What’s next!

Understanding how living things 

interact in an ecosystem

Introduction

In Unit 1 we examined how the Mississippi River made 

its mark on the country’s ecosystems and commerce. In 

Unit 2 we will explore the ecosystems of the Mississippi 

River in more depth and learn how human activity has 

affected them. Students learn about the health of Upper 

Mississippi River ecosystems, habitats, and species 

through a variety of hands-on and outdoor activities 

that focus on life science and geography.

This introductory lesson prepares students for the 

lessons and activities in this unit by getting them 

outside to explore their local ecosystem. Whether that 

takes place in the schoolyard or on a fi eld trip is up to 

you, the teacher. This lesson also includes a pre- and 

post-assessment test that can be used to evaluate 

students’ knowledge before and after they explore 

Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems.

64 | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction to

Upper Mississippi River 

Ecosystems
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | 65

UNIT 2

Activity 1 Introduction 2.0

Pre- and Post- 

 Assessment

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet 

(pages 66–67)

Do This

1. Copy and distribute the Pre- and Post- Assessment activity 

worksheet on the following page.

2. Allow 15 minutes for students to complete the assessment. 

3. Save the pre-assessments to compare with a postassessment given after students complete all the lessons in 

this unit using this same activity worksheet. 

4. Calculate each student’s percent increase in knowledge. 

1. Producer -----------------------Makes its own food 

2. Prey -----------------------------Hunted by another animal for food 

3. Scavenger ---------------------Eats dead things 

4. Carnivore ----------------------Eats only other animals 

5. Herbivore ----------------------Eats plants

6. Omnivore ---------------------Eats plants and animals 

7. Biotic ----------------------------Organisms, living or dead, or any part of them 

8. Abiotic --------------------------Non-living components in the environment 

9. Predator------------------------Hunts other animals for food

10. Ecosystem --------------------Living and non-living things interacting in a system

11. Species -------------------------Single kind of living thing

12. Habitat--------------------------Place where all survival needs are met

Multiple Choice

1. D 6. C

2. B 7. A

3. C 8. C

4. B 9. C

5. D 10. A

We consider species to be like a brick in the foundation of a 

building. You can probably lose one or two or a dozen bricks 

and still have a standing house. But by the time you’ve lost 

20 percent of species, you’re going to destabilize the entire 

structure. That’s how ecosystems work.

– Donald Falk, Christian Science Monitor, May 26, 1989

Answer Key
66 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Matching

Draw a line from the word on the left to the correct defi nition on the right.

1. Producer Organisms, living or dead, or any part of them

2. Prey Eats plants and animals

3. Scavenger Hunts other animals for food

4. Carnivore Non-living components in the environment

5. Herbivore Hunted by another animal for food

6. Omnivore Single kind of living thing

7. Biotic Living and non-living things interacting in a system

8. Abiotic Place where all survival needs are met

9. Predator Eats plants

10. Ecosystem Eats dead things

11. Species Eats only other animals

12. Habitat Makes its own food

Multiple choice

Circle the correct answer. There may be more than one correct answer.

1. Living things are connected to their environment because they:

a. Live in the same ecosystem

b. Interact with each other

c. Are part of the habitat food web

d. All of the above

2. Why is the Mississippi River called a fl yway?

a. Airplanes fl y up and down the river

b. Birds follow the river when migrating

c. Golfers play on the river

d. All of the above

Unit 2 Assessment
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 67

3. Water that goes down the storm drain ends up:

a. Back in the faucet

b. In the backyard

c. In the river

d. At my neighbor’s house

4. Which are ways we can help our local endangered species?

a. Remove native plants

b. Plant a garden to attract wildlife 

c. Use plastic instead of paper

d. All of the above

5. How can you make a positive impact on your environment?

a. Recycle instead of throwing things away

b. Clean up after your dog

c. Collect rainwater to reuse 

d. All of the above

Choose the BEST defi nition for the word.

6. Endangered

a. Non-living thing 

b. Part of the food chain

c. In danger of no longer existing

7. Photosynthesis

a. Plants making food

b. Camera taking photos

c. Plants making oxygen

8. Species

a. Abiotic factors

b. Non-living thing

c. Single kind of living thing

9. Riparian habitat

a. City neighborhood 

b. Amusement park

c. River bank 

10. Conservation

a. Preserving natural resources

b. Renewing water

c. Discovering fossil fuels
UNIT 2

68 | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction 2.0

Background

We are all dependent on the life-support 

services that healthy ecosystems 

perform. Ecosystems provide food 

and habitat for diverse communities of 

people, plants, and animals. They also 

purify our air and water, recycle our 

waste, regulate climate, and moderate 

fl oods and drought.

What is an ecosystem?

Many different defi nitions of ecosystem 

exist, from the very simple to the 

extremely complex. These defi nitions 

are open to debate because they have 

legal and political ramifi cations for 

international agreements protecting 

biodiversity.

Simply put, any group of living and 

non-living things interacting with each 

other can be considered an ecosystem. 

The abiotic, or non-living, components 

of an ecosystem are the physical factors 

of the environment, such as rocks, soil, 

sunlight, water, and air. The living, or 

biotic, components of an ecosystem 

include the organisms, both living 

and dead, such as plants and animals, 

that interact with and are dependent 

on abiotic factors. Together these 

components interact to create a stable, 

self-sustaining system. 

An ecosystem can be as small as 

a puddle or as large as the Earth 

itself and can be temporary or 

permanent. The larger and more diverse 

in biotic and abiotic components, 

the more productive the ecosystem. 

Biodiversity is used as a measurement 

of ecosystem health.

The Convention on Biological Diversity 

defi nes an ecosystem as a “dynamic 

complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and their nonliving environment interacting as a 

functional unit. “ The Convention on 

Biological Diversity is an international, 

legally binding treaty adopted in Rio de 

Janeiro in June 1992 and ratifi ed by 192 

countries. The United States was not 

one of them. 

Different types of ecosystems are 

usually identifi ed based on the types of 

native plant communities that occur in 

an area. Different ecosystems are found 

together in a geographical area called 

a biome that shares the same climatic 

conditions.
UNIT 2

Introduction 2.0

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | 69

Ecosystems of the Upper Mississippi River Floodplain 

Look at the cross-section of the Upper 

Mississippi River Floodplain. Lowelevation fl oodplain areas, which are 

usually inundated, support aquatic 

and wetland plants. Areas subject 

to frequent fl ooding support fl ood 

tolerant species. The least fl ood-tolerant 

plant species occur on well-drained, 

high elevation areas. Flooding is the 

major disturbance on low-elevation 

fl oodplains. Fire was once an infl uence 

on high-elevation fl oodplains, but fi res 

have been suppressed and agriculture is 

currently the major infl uence.

Floodplain forest: silver maple, willows, cottonwood, 

elm, ash, hackberry, pin oak, persimmon, pecan

Prairie grove: willows, silver maple

Shallow marsh: cattails, bulrushes, plantain, arrowheads, sedges

Bluff Floodplain 

lake

Floodplain Floodplain 

Natural 

levee

Side 

channel Island Main river channel Backwater lake

High river stage

Low river stage

Wet meadow: cord grass, rushes, switchgrass

Mesic prairie: big bluestem, switchgrass

Upland forest: white oak, black oak, hickory, etc.

Mississippi River

Shallow, open water: pondweeds, coontail, wild celery, 

water milfoil, water primrose, duckweed, etc.

Deep marsh: cattails, bulrushes, plantain, arrowheads, sedges

Wet marsh: cord grass, sedges, rushes

Hill prairie: little bluestem, post oak, black oak, eastern red cedar

Upland forest: white oak, black oak, hickory, etc.
UNIT 2

70 | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction 2.0

This is a Landsat map 

of the Upper Mississippi 

River between Lock and 

Dam 8, near Genoa, 

Wisconsin, and Lock and 

Dam 7, near Dresbach, 

Minnesota. It was 

created using data 

collected by a Landsat 

satellite to map land 

cover and land use areas. 

River fl oodplains create 

a dynamic mosaic of 

riverine, wetland, and 

grassland habitats that 

support a diverse 

variety of plant and 

wildlife species.

River channels

Wetlands

Grasslands

Need to Know

• Organism: An individual living 

thing, such as a plant, animal, 

fungus, or bacteria. 

• Species: A single kind of organism. 

All people are one species.

• Population: A group of the same 

species living in the same place at 

the same time.

• Abiotic factors: Non-living chemical 

and physical components in the 

environment, such as temperature, 

light, moisture, or air currents. 

Examples: rocks, soil, sunlight, 

water, air, and any items made 

by humans from non-living 

components, such as brick and 

cement. 

• Biotic factors: The organic 

components in an environment 

that affect organisms. They consist 

of plant and animal organisms, 

both living and dead, as well as the 

results of their activities, including 

what they eat and defecate.

• Biome: A geographical area 

that shares the same climatic 

conditions.

• Community: Different populations 

of species that live and interact 

together. Several communities live 

together in an ecosystem.

• Ecosystem: Any group of living 

and nonliving things interacting 

with and dependent on each other 

to create a stable, self-sustaining 

system.

• Biodiversity: The number and 

variety of organisms in a given 

locality, community, or ecosystem. 
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | 71

Introduction 2.0

The links between ecosystem and human health are many 

and obvious: the value in wetlands of filtering pollutants 

out of ground-water aquifers; the potential future 

medical use of different plants’ genetic material; the 

human health effects of heavy metal accumulation in fish 

and shellfish. It is clear that healthy ecosystems provide 

the underpinnings for the long-term health of economies 

and societies. – F. Henry Habicht, EPA Journal, September–October 1990

Discussion (60 - 90 minutes)

Once students have completed the preassessment, begin the discussion by asking 

them to visualize their schoolyard or backyard. 

Prompt them by asking specifi c questions 

about key features, such as grassy and paved 

areas, paths, playground equipment, other 

children, fl owers, and insects. Make a list of 

their answers.

Then ask students to think about their 

community, starting with their families and 

moving up to their street, neighborhood, town 

or city, and state. 

Use these personal references as the context to 

defi ne and discuss the key terms and concepts 

for this lesson to prepare students for the 

Explore Your Ecosystem activity. Emphasize 

biodiversity and discuss why it is important.

Taken as a whole, this introductory lesson addresses 

several key science objectives. In addition to learning about 

populations and ecosystems (life science), students engage in 

hands-on scientifi c exploration, which helps them understand 

science as a human endeavor and gives them the foundation 

necessary to do scientifi c inquiry. They also begin to 

understand science from a personal and social perspective.

Incorporating the extension suggestions adds a new 

dimension to this lesson by including activities that feature 

fi ne arts and language arts standards.

Minnesota 

Dwarf Trout Lily 

(Erythronium 

propullans)
Introduction 2.0 Introduction 2.0

72 | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Activity 2

Explore the schoolyard and/or park before 

conducting this activity so you will have 

some ideas for where to have the students 

start exploring.

Do This

1. Open the door and step into your 

ecosystem! Go outside and investigate 

your schoolyard or a nearby park. 

Better yet, take a fi eld trip to a National 

Wildlife Refuge near your school.

2. Investigate the surroundings and 

note the biotic and abiotic factors 

there – what living and non-living 

components can you fi nd? Use the 

magnifying glass to view small 

items up close. Use the binoculars 

to view things far away. 

3. Log your fi ndings in your 

observation activity worksheet 

on the following page.

4. Start a journal. Check the same 

area weekly and update your journal.

Explore 

 Your Ecosystem

What you’ll need

• Observation activity 

worksheet (page 73)

• Binoculars

• Magnifying glass

• Pencil

• Field guide

• Journal

Safety

 Tip

Depending on size of 

exploration area and 

distance from school

Do 

Ahead

UNIT 2

Be sure to review 

your safety rules 

before the trip.

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 73

Explore Your Ecosystem

Biotic

(birds, worms, plants)

Abiotic

(rocks, bicycle, fence)

Where you found it

(near the school entrance 

or by the swings)

Notes for your journal __________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________
rest

 Aridlands

 Boreal Forest

 Eastern Forest

 Subtropical Forest

 Grasslands

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 2

74 | 2.0 Introduction: Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction 2.0

Learn more online

Learn about ecosystems and 

biomes from the Franklin Institute

website (www2.fi .edu)

Search keywords: Living things, 

habitats and ecosystems

Learn about abiotic and biotic 

factors from the Utah Education 

Network website (www.uen.org)

Search keywords: Abiotic and 

biotic factors

Go exploring on the 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

website (www.fws.gov)

Search keywords: 

Neighborhood explorers

 The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

has identifi ed and defi ned 

boundaries for 53 ecosystem 

units by grouping watersheds. 

To learn more, go to the U.S. 

Fish & Wildlife Service website 

(www.fws.gov) and search 

Ecosystem Units.

We have forgotten how to be good 

guests, how to walk lightly on the 

earth as its other creatures do.

– Barbara Ward, Only One Earth, 1972

 Career launch

Invite a local 

biologist, 

conservationist, or 

ecologist to speak 

to the class. Ask 

students to research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

• Take a fi eld trip to a nature 

center or wildlife refuge and ask 

students to identify biotic and 

abiotic components or write in a 

journal. Call ahead for pre-visit 

materials for tips and ideas of 

other activities.

• Encourage students to ask their 

families to spend a day together 

at a nature center or wildlife 

refuge and present a report about 

what they learned to the class.

Express yourself!

Ask students to write a poem or 

paint a picture of their favorite 

spot outdoors that includes biotic 

and abiotic factors.

Consider doing a class photo 

journal on an aspect of water. Visit 

a park or a nature center to take 

photos and keep a diary of what 

you saw, heard, and felt. Write 

captions for your photos.

Extension Suggestions

Biomes
Lesson 2.1

UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | 75

At Home 

in the River:

Plants, Animals, and Habitats of the 

Upper Mississippi River

Introduction

Lesson 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and 

Habitats of the Upper Mississippi River builds on the 

knowledge and skills learned in the last lesson about 

Upper Mississippi ecosystems to look at plant and animal 

communities at the habitat level. Students explore how 

living things are connected to their environment by creating 

a food chain checkers game and raising tadpoles.

Background

Home sweet home

A habitat is an organism’s “home.” 

It is the place where a population 

of plant or animal species naturally 

lives and grows. Habitats supply 

the basic needs for survival, such 

as food, water, shelter, and space, 

and vary in size depending on the 

species and the resources available. 

Many species may also have 

different habitat needs at different 

life stages and times of year. 

All living things need energy to live, and they 

depend on each other for food. Food chains 

are more than just a collection of organisms 

that eat each other. They are also a conduit 

for the accumulation and transfer of energy. 

There are many habitats and food webs 

within an ecosystem.

 Unit 2 goal reminder

Explore the ecosystems of 

the Mississippi River and 

how humans affect them

 Lesson goal

Understand how living 

things are connected to 

their environment

 Lesson objectives

• Defi ne terms related to 

ecosystems of the 

Mississippi River

• Research species 

connections in a food web 

• Understand the importance 

of indicator species

• Care for tadpoles in an 

aquarium and record their 

development

 Educational standards

• Life Science

• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• 3 pieces of 20" x 20" poster 

board in 3 different light colors

• Pen or pencil

• Scissors

• Glue

• Checkerboard

• Frog eggs or tadpoles

• Aquarium or fi sh bowl 

with a screen top

• Pond, rain or conditioned water

• Fish food

• Sponge

 How long it will take

• Discussion/prep time: 1 hr.

• Activity 1 and 2: 1 hr. each

 What’s next!

Exploring why and how

birds migrate 
UNIT 2

76 | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.1

Need to Know

• Predators: Animals that kill and eat other animals.

• Prey: Animals that are killed and eaten by 

other animals.

• Herbivores: Animals that eat only plants.

• Omnivores: Animals that eat both plants and 

other animals.

• Carnivores: Animals that eat only other animals.

• Invertebrates: Animals without backbones, which 

includes about 95 percent of all animal species, 

such as insects, worms, spiders, crustaceans, 

and mollusks.

• Crustaceans: Large group of invertebrates that 

includes shrimp, crabs, and barnacles. 

• Mollusks: Large group of invertebrates that 

includes snails, slugs, clams, and mussels. 

• Plankton: Microscopic organisms that live in both 

salt and fresh water.

• Phytoplankton: Microscopic plants that live in or 

near the surface of the water.

• Zooplankton: Microscopic animals that eat 

other plankton, such as phytoplankton.

• Habitat: The place where a population of species 

makes its home and meets all of its needs for 

survival, including food, water, shelter, and space. 

Within each ecosystem, there are many different 

habitats that vary in size.

• Riparian habitat: The habitat along the bank 

of a river.

• Food chain: The relationships between organisms 

in a habitat arranged in order of predation 

(interactions between predators and prey). 

• Food web: All the food chains in a 

particular habitat. 

• Photosynthesis: The process though which plants 

make their own food from sunlight, water, and a 

gas called carbon dioxide.

• Producers: Organisms, such as plants and algae, 

that make their own food through photosynthesis.

• Consumers: Members of the food chain that eat 

other living things. There are four types, or trophic 

levels, of consumers: 

1. Primary consumers: Animals that only eat 

plants (herbivores), such as rabbits, deer, and 

elk. Many primary consumers are prey for 

consumers at higher trophic levels. 

Flathead 

Catfi sh 

(Pylodictis 

olivaris)

Mayfl y 

(Ephemeroptera)

Caddisfl y Larvae

(Trichoptera)

Northern Leopard Frog

(Rana pipiens)

Indicator species

Some plant and animal species 

are especially sensitive to habitat 

changes, and are the fi rst to show 

signs of stress when a habitat is 

unhealthy. Frog populations have 

been declining all over the world 

for years. Loss of habitat, water 

pollution, fungal disease, and 

predation by non-native species 

are a few of the causes. 

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Mississippi 

National River and Recreation Area; Upper Mississippi 

River Conservation Committee; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 

Midwest Region; U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Upper 

Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; USGS Biological 

Resources Discipline; The Facts on File Dictionary of Biology, 

3rd ed., by Robert Hine.
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | 77

2. Secondary consumers: Animals that eat 

other animals, including both omnivores 

and carnivores.

3. Tertiary consumers: Carnivores that eat 

other carnivores.

4. Quaternary consumers (also called 

apex predators): Animals that are at 

the top of the food chain and have no 

predators within their ecosystem, 

such as the gray wolf, grizzly bear, bald 

eagle, osprey, great horned owl, coyote, 

lynx, and wolverines. Humans are also 

apex predators.

• Scavengers: Animals that eat dead things.

• Detritus: Small pieces of organic 

material from dead and decaying plants 

and animals.

• Decomposers: Living things that break 

down the cells of dead plants and animals 

into simpler parts, helping to return 

nutrients to the soil to be used by primary 

producers. Decomposers include fungi 

(mold), bacteria, and worms. 

• Bacteria: Large group of single-celled 

organisms that live in soil, water, organic 

material, and the bodies of living plants 

and animals. 

• Recycling: The act of using things again. 

When organisms die or produce waste, 

they become food for decomposers, 

which break down the organic matter into 

nutrients that can be used again 

by producers.

• Indicator species: A species whose 

presence, absence, or health tells us about 

the health of its habitat or ecosystem. Also 

called bioindicators. Fish, aquatic plants, 

and aquatic invertebrates are excellent 

indicator species because they: 

 - live in the water for some or all 

 of their life

 - differ in their tolerance to amount

 and types of pollution

 - live for several years

Sources: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Midwest Region; U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) USGS Biological Resources Discipline; The Facts on 

File Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed., by Robert Hine. 

Discussion (about one hour)

Begin the discussion about habitats

by asking students how their homes 

and communities provide them with 

the food and shelter they need to be 

healthy and safe. Use the context of 

their homes to introduce and discuss 

the key terms and concepts relating 

to species and habitats. Explain 

the difference between habitats 

and ecosystems. Once students 

understand the concept, move on to 

food chains.

Begin the discussion about food chains

by asking students to log what they 

ate the day before and look up its 

nutritional information to determine 

where on the food chain their meals 

came from. Compare several different 

types of meals, from highly processed 

meals to whole foods, to get a wide 

range of foods from almost every 

trophic level. Use these personal 

references as the context to defi ne and 

discuss the key terms and concepts.

Used in its entirety, this lesson explores life science by 

examining populations and ecosystems in more detail. 

Students learn about the complex relationships between 

producers and the different levels of consumers. They 

see how energy is transferred through food chains and 

understand how organisms are categorized by their 

function in the ecosystem. 

Students again engage in hands-on scientifi c exploration, 

which furthers their understanding of science as inquiry 

and as a human endeavor. Language arts and games are 

incorporated into this lesson to make the activities more 

engaging to a wide variety of learning styles. Extension 

suggestions offer ideas for deepening activities and 

incorporating personal and social perspectives. 
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.1

78 | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Use visuals to help students 

understand the complex 

interactions in food chains 

and food webs. The food 

chain table and the ecological 

pyramid will help students 

understand the relationships.

Ecological Pyramid

Venn Diagram

An ecological pyramid 

makes clear two important 

facts about food webs. 

It shows how the total 

number of organisms found 

in any one level decreases 

as you go up the pyramid, 

which means the amount of 

available energy decreases 

as well. For example, let’s 

say an ecosystem that 

contains 10,000 lettuce 

plants can support 100 

rabbits, but only 10 owls, 

and just 1 hawk.

Use a Venn Diagram to 

help students understand 

how the terms producers 

and consumers relate to 

herbivore, carnivore, and 

omnivore as well as the 

terms predator and prey. 

Describe and discuss their 

different roles.

Teacher 

 Tip

Once students understand the complex 

relationships among species in a food chain, 

use another visual to show how many food 

chains create an ecosystem’s food web.

Finish the discussion by defi ning and 

discussing indicator species using the mayfl y 

as an example. Mayfl ies are an excellent 

example of an invertebrate indicator species 

because of their varied tolerance for pollution 

and their role in the food chain as a major 

food source for fi sh. Discuss what the 

presence, absence, or relative well-being of 

mayfl y populations tells us about the health 

of an ecosystem as a whole.

Carnivores

Many sharp teeth

Secondary 

consumers

Eat animals

Omnivores

Combination of sharp 

and rounded teeth

Primary and secondary 

consumers

Herbivores

Few sharp teeth

Many rounded teeth

Primary consumers

Eat plants

Bacteria

Bacteria

Carnivores

Herbivores

Plants

Example: 

bobcats

Example: 

humans, 

wild boars Example: whitetail deer
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | 79

Trophic

Level

Decomposers

Primary Producers

Primary Consumers

Secondary Consumers

Tertiary Consumers

Quaternary Consumers

Grassland 

Ecosystem

Worms

Grass 

Grasshopper

Rat 

Snake 

Hawk

Wetland 

Ecosystem

Fungi (mold)

Algae and Aquatic Plants

Mosquito Larva

Dragonfl y Larva

Fish

Raccoon

River 

Ecosystem

Bacteria

Phytoplankton

Minnow 

Crayfi sh

Fish

River Otter

Trophic Level: The position of an organism in a food chain

Food chains and food webs are 

useful tools for understanding the 

relationship among the trophic 

levels, but the reality is far more 

complex. Food chains interact and 

are dependent on one another, 

making their relationships 

more like a web.

Food Web

River otter

Hawk

Bald Eagle

Large Fish

Snake

Rodent

Small bird

Nuts

Rabbit

Frog

Insect

Small fish

Plant

Coyote
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.1

80 | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Bonus Round Discussion

If you have the time, build on the meal 

analysis discussion to explore the 

implications of eating higher or lower on 

the food chain. For example, describe the 

health benefi ts of omega 3 fatty acids, 

such as preventing disease (cancer and 

cardiovascular disease) and improving 

brain and immune system functioning. 

Then identify the different food sources of 

omega 3 and their place in the food chain:

• Flaxseed oil (primary producer)

• Sardines (primary consumer that feeds 

on plankton)

• Salmon (secondary consumer that eats 

small fi sh like sardines)

• People (apex predator that eats salmon)

Explain that because we are higher-level 

consumers, we need to be aware of the 

pollutants, such as heavy metals (mercury, 

lead, arsenic) and fat-soluble pollutants 

like pcbs (chemical coolant) and dioxin 

(industrial emission) that accumulate up 

the food chain. 

 Only 6% of the native habitats of the Upper 

Mississippi River fl oodplain remain today.

 The Upper Mississippi River fl oodplain is 

home to more than 50 species of mammals.

 At least 163 species of fi sh live in the 

Mississippi River.

 At least 45 species of amphibians and 

reptiles inhabit the Upper Mississippi 

River area.

 There are more than 50 documented species 

of mussels in the Upper Mississippi River.

 The increase in the concentration of a 

pollutant as it moves up from one trophic 

level to another is called bioaccumulation.
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | 81

What you’ll need

• 3 pieces of 20" x 20" 

poster board in 3 

different colors, each 

light enough to write on

• Pen or pencil

• Scissors

• Glue

• Checkerboard

• Activity worksheets 

(page 83)

Activity 1

Food Chain Checkers

What's for Dinner?

Students learn about the connections among species in a food 

web by researching what local animals eat and creating a Food 

Chain Checkers game based on the trophic levels of the animals 

they choose.

Do This

Step A: Warm-up

1. Have each student research at least two local species to 

discover what they eat. 

2. Discuss their fi ndings and record them on the board. 

• You will need a minimum of 12 species for each student to 

make enough checkers to play a game. 

• Be sure to include humans.

• Consider including pelican, sandpiper, least tern, sanderling, 

plover, bald eagle, and osprey in preparation for Lesson 2.2 

on bird migration.

Step B: Complete the Food Chain Chart

1. Ask students to complete a food chain for each ecosystem in the 

Who Eats Whom? activity worksheet on page 83. Use the chart 

below to help students who have diffi culty assigning species to 

the trophic levels for each ecosystem.

2. Ask students to pick 12 species from their Food Chain Chart to 

play checkers.

depending on student 

research time

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

LEVEL Grassland ecosystem Wetland ecosystem River ecosystem

Producers 1. Grass 1. Algae & aquatic plants 1. Phytoplankton

Primary consumers 2. Grasshopper 2. Mosquito larva 2. Minnow

Secondary consumers 3. Rat 3. Dragonfl y larva 3. Crayfi sh

Tertiary consumers 4. Snake 4. Fish 4. Fish

Quaternary consumers 5. Hawk 5. Raccoon 5. River otter

CLASSES
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.1

82 | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Activity 1

Step C: Make the checkers

1. Have students work in teams of two to 

make and play one game of checkers.

2. Choose two colors to use to make 

the checkers. 

• Cut out 12 circles sized to fi t in the 

size of the squares.

• On one side write the name of 

each species and its trophic level 

(decomposer, primary producer, 

primary consumer, secondary 

consumer, tertiary consumer, or 

apex consumer). 

• The other side is left blank unless the 

checker reaches the opposite side 

of the board. If that happens, have 

students turn the checker over and 

write apex on the blank side. 

Step D: Rules of the game 

1. Place the highest-level consumers at 

the back of the board and the lowest 

level in front. 

2. To play, move diagonally like checkers. 

Capture checkers by “eating” (i.e., 

diagonally jumping over) any species 

that are on a lower trophic level, which 

represents a legal move. Remove the 

jumped checker.

3. Checkers that reach the last row of the 

opposite side of the board become 

apex predators. Have students turn 

over that checker and write “apex” on 

the blank side. It can now legally jump 

any piece.

4. Game ends by capturing all of the 

opposing player’s pieces, by leaving 

the opposing player with no legal 

moves, or with a draw.

If pressed for time, use the 

sample checkers below 

instead of asking students to 

make their own. 

Teacher 

 Tip

Blue Heron

3rd consumer

Plant

Producer

Fish

2nd consumer

Large 

Mouth Bass

2nd consumer

Rodent

1st consumer

Snake

2nd consumer

Bobcat

3rd consumer

Frog

2nd consumer

Crayfish

2nd consumer

Coyote

Apex

Bald 

Eagle

Apex

Fish

1st consumer

Mollusk

1st consumer

River 

Otter

Apex

Sandpiper

2nd consumer

Plant

Producer

Birds

2nd consumer

White 

Pelican

3rd consumer

Frog

2nd consumer

Insect

1st consumer

Small 

Mammals

1st consumer

Human

Apex

Hawk

Apex

Owl

3rd consumer
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 83

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

LEVEL Grassland ecosystem Wetland ecosystem River ecosystem

Primary producers 1. Grass 1. Wetland plants 1. Phytoplankton

Primary consumers 2. 2. 2. 

Secondary consumers 3. 3. 3. 

Tertiary consumers 4. 4. 4.

Quaternary consumers 5. 5. 5. 

Who Eats Whom?

Make food chains for 

three types of ecosystems 

(grassland, wetland, and river) 

by fi lling in the chart above 

with the appropriate species 

for each trophic level. Use 

species from the list below or 

research your own examples.

1. Turtles eat: snails, crayfi sh, 

insects, small fi sh, aquatic 

plants

2. Muskrats eat: a variety of 

plants

3. Great blue herons eat: 

fi sh, invertebrates, small 

mammals, reptiles, 

amphibians

4. Crayfi sh eat: detritus, small 

fi sh, plants, snails, plankton

5. Frogs eat: insects, 

invertebrates, plants

6. Tadpoles eat: phytoplankton

7. Mosquitos eat: plant nectar 

and blood

8. Dragonfl ies (adults) eat: 

mosquitoes, fl ies, bees, ants

9. Zooplankton eat: 

phytoplankton

10. Largemouth bass eat: 

zooplankton, crayfi sh, small 

fi sh, frogs

11. Pond snails eat: detritus 

and plants

12. Bluegills eat: insects, larvae, 

crustaceans, plants

13. Raccoons eat: plants, 

crayfi sh, frogs, fi sh

14. Minnows eat: small snails, 

zooplankton, insect larvae

15. River otters eat: crayfi sh, 

freshwater mussels, fi sh, 

frogs

16. Bacteria eat: detritus (dead 

or decaying organic matter)

17. Bobcats eat: rabbits, 

rodents, squirrels, birds, fi sh, 

insects

18. Spiders eat: fl ies, insects, 

other spiders

19. Humans eat: plants, 

mammals, birds, fi sh, 

crayfi sh 

20. Coyotes eat: rabbits, 

rodents, squirrels, birds, fi sh, 

insects, snakes

21. Owls eat: small mammals, 

rodents, small occasional 

bird

22. Horses eat: grass, hay, grain

23. White pelicans eat: small 

fi sh, salamanders, crayfi sh

24. Sandpipers eat: insects, 

small crustaceans, mollusks

25. Least terns eat: small fi shes, 

shrimp, invertebrates

27. Plovers eat: insects, larvae, 

marine worms

28. Bald eagles eat: fi sh, 

waterfowl, shorebirds, small 

mammals, turtles, carrion

29. Ospreys eat: fi sh, snakes, 

voles, squirrels, muskrats
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.1

84 | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

What you’ll need

• Frog eggs or tadpoles 

(about 2 or 3 tadpoles 

per quart of water)

• Aquarium or fi sh bowl 

(about 10 gallons) with 

a screen top 

• Pond, rain, or 

conditioned water 

• Fish food 

• Sponge

• Gravel and aquatic plants 

(if desired, but not necessary)

• Activity worksheet (page 87)

• Be sure to get permission 

from property owner before 

collecting pond water or other 

items, and do not release 

non-native species into the 

environment 

Raising

 Tadpoles

By caring for tadpoles and witnessing their metamorphosis into 

frogs or toads, students understand that some species may also 

have different habitat needs at different life stages and times of 

year. They also learn about the importance of clean water.

It usually takes between 6 and 12 weeks 

for some species to grow from egg 

to tadpole to frog. 

Do This

1. Set up tadpole aquarium. 

Depending on where you get the 

tadpoles and what kind of water 

you use, this may take several days.

• Clean, chlorine-free water is 

essential for tadpoles. Rain or 

pond water is best.

• If using tap water, condition it 

with chlorine removers from 

a pet store or leave it in the 

sunlight for two days to break 

down the chlorine.

2. Get frog eggs or tadpoles.

• Buy frog eggs or tadpoles online 

or from a pet or a pond supply 

store. Ask for the scientifi c name 

and fi nd out the specifi c habitat 

and food requirements for that 

species.

1 hour to start. Half 

day if combined with 

a fi eld trip. Ongoing 

project lasting up to 

12 weeks.

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

Activity 2

Teacher 

 Tip
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.1

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | 85

Teacher 

 Tip

• If you are doing this lesson in early 

spring, consider taking the class on 

a fi eld trip to gather frog eggs or 

tadpoles. Be sure to get permission 

from property owners before 

collecting pond water or other items.

- Timing. It’s best to gather eggs in 

early spring so they turn into frogs 

before school ends.

- Get ready. Wear the right clothes 

for the weather and the place. 

- Know when and where to go. 

Listen for frog calls. That lets you 

know the time is right. Look in still 

ponds, puddles, and ditches near 

the water’s edge. Frogs usually lay 

their eggs around tall grasses or 

submerged sticks or logs.

- Know what to look for. The eggs 

are together in a large clump of 

jelly. Each egg has a dark center 

(the tadpole) and a jelly “egg” 

around it. 

- Scoop up a clump of eggs 

along with some pond water, 

mud, and plants.

3. Care and feeding. 

• The pond plants you collect provide 

plenty of food during the fi rst days of 

hatching. After that, feed the tadpoles 

about twice per week. They will eat 

fi nely ground fi sh food or spinach 

and lettuce leaves that have been 

briefl y boiled.

• If the tank gets too dirty, replace 

with fresh pond or rainwater. 

If you have to use tap water, 

remember to condition it fi rst.

There Was an Old Lady

Who Swallowed a Fly

There was an old lady who swallowed a fl y.

I don’t know why she swallowed the fl y,

I guess she’ll die. 

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,

that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fl y.

I don’t know why she swallowed the fl y.

I guess she’ll die. 

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird.

How absurd to swallow a bird.

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,

that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fl y.

I don’t know why she swallowed the fl y.

I guess she’ll die. 

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat.

Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird. 

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,

that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fl y.

I don’t know why she swallowed the fl y.

I guess she’ll die. 

There was an old lady who swallowed a dog.

My what a hog, to swallow a dog.

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.

She swallowed the cat, to catch the bird,

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,

that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fl y.

I don’t know why she swallowed the fl y.

I guess she’ll die. 

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.

I don’t know how she swallowed a cow.

She swallowed the cow to catch the dog.

She swallowed the dog, to catch the cat.

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird.

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,

that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her.

She swallowed the spider to catch the fl y.

I don’t know why she swallowed the fl y

I guess she’ll die. 

I know an old lady who swallowed a horse... 

She’s dead of course! 

—Rose Bonne

Ask students to fi nd 

the fl aw in this nursery 

rhyme’s food chain. 
UNIT 2

86 | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.1

• When the tadpoles start developing legs, 

they need some sort of perch so they can 

get out of the water. Floating water lily 

leaves and branches are ideal, but a 

sponge will work. Make sure to keep 

a screen across the top.

4. Have students observe the tadpoles daily and 

record their development in a journal, lab 

report, or online. 

5. What to expect:

• Back legs will develop fi rst, then front legs.

• Tails are resorbed after front legs emerge.

• Once the tadpole’s tail is gone, it is 

considered a frog.

6. If you gathered eggs or tadpoles from a local 

pond or stream, release your frogs back 

to where you found them. Be sure to get 

appropriate permissions before releasing the 

frogs. If you choose to keep the frogs, you 

need to begin to feed them insects and give 

them fi rm ground as well as lots of water. 

However, if you purchased your eggs or 

tadpoles from a store, do not release them 

into the environment. They may not be a 

native species, and many states have laws 

prohibiting the release of aquarium fi sh and 

amphibians for fear of introducing diseases or 

invasive species.

Activity 2
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 87

Raising Tadpoles

Journal Page

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

Lesson 2.1

UNIT 2

88 | 2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 Career launch

Invite a local 

ecologist, biologist 

or conservationist 

to speak to the 

class. Ask students 

to research the fi eld and prepare 

questions in advance. See A1: 

Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

You are what you eat

Ask students to talk to their 

parents about where in the food 

chain their meals come from 

and think about the health and 

environmental implications for the 

way they eat.

Get out!

Go on a tour of a local food 

processing plant.

Express yourself!

As a class activity, ask students 

to write a poem about food webs 

using cumulative verses similar 

to “There Was An Old Lady Who 

Swallowed A Fly.” Each student 

adds a verse and then repeats 

the entire poem. 

Learn more online

Contribute to the food web by 

helping decomposers do their 

thing both at home and at school. 

Learn about composting from the

Environmental Protection Agency

website (www.epa.gov) and

search keywords: Backyard 

composting

Learn more about the indicator 

species from the Environmental 

Protection Agency website 

(www.epa.gov) and search 

keywords: Indicator Species

 Grades K–4 Extension

Recycle, reuse, reduce: 

what on earth can you do 

with an old jelly jar? Go to 

Environmental Protection 

Agency website (www.epa.

gov) and search keywords:

EPA waste kids education

Volunteer!

• Visit the Living Lands & Waters

website (www.livingland

sandwaters.org) Click on 

Get Involved.

Get involved

• There are many opportunities to 

help protect and restore habitat 

along the Upper Mississippi 

River. Find out how at the 

Mississippi River Wild website 

(www.mississippiriver

wild.com) Click on volunteer. 

• Contact local, state, or federal 

agencies for volunteer 

opportunities.

Our challenge for the future is that we 

realize we are very much a part of the 

earth’s ecosystem, and we must learn to 

respect and live according to the basic 

biological laws of nature. – Jim Fowler

Extension Suggestions
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | 89

Lesson 2.2

Just Passing 

Through:

Bird Migration and the

Mississippi River Flyway

Introduction

Lesson 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migration and the 

Mississippi River Flyway uses the knowledge and skills 

learned in the last lesson about habitats and food chains 

to understand the habitat needs of migratory birds. In this 

lesson, students recreate the Mississippi Flyway in the 

classroom or schoolyard and take a birdwatching fi eld trip.

Background

Bird migrations are among nature’s 

most dramatic events. Birdwatching 

is the fastest growing outdoor activity 

in America. It is one of the best ways to 

connect students with nature and science. 

 Unit 2 goal reminder

Explore the ecosystems of

the Mississippi River and

how humans affect them

 Lesson goal

Understand why the 

Mississippi Flyway is a major 

migration route for birds

 Lesson objectives

• Defi ne terms related to 

ecosystems of the 

Mississippi River

• Research migration routes 

and identify stopovers 

• Create a fl yway in your 

classroom

• Prepare for a birdwatching 

fi eld trip

• Go birdwatching

 Educational standards

• Life Science

• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Geography

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Chairs, desk, or safety cones

• Paper and clipboard

• Tape

• Student journals

• Pencils and crayons

• Binoculars

• Hat

• Waterproof boots or shoes 

• Field guide

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 20 min.

• Activity 1: 60 min.

• Activity 2: Half-day fi eld trip

 What’s next?

Assessing the health of the 

Mississippi River

Need To Know

• Migration: Migration is the 

movement of a species from 

one place to another, often 

following a change of season.

• Migration route: The paths taken 

during the course of migration 

by a single bird species. 

• Stopovers: Places where birds 

stay for a brief time during 

their migration.

• Breeding grounds: The area 

where an animal mates 

and produces offspring.

• Flyway: General fl ight routes 

used by many migrating bird 

species between their wintering 

grounds and their breeding 

grounds. There are four major 

migratory fl yways in North 

America: Atlantic, Mississippi, 

Central, and Pacifi c Flyways.

• Wetlands: An area of land 

where the soil is saturated with 

moisture some (seasonally) or 

all of the time.

• Riparian habitat: Riparian is the 

habitat along the bank of a river. 
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

90 | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Why do birds migrate?

The reasons are complex and not fully 

understood, but the simple answer 

is because they can. The ability to fl y 

allows birds to seek out the best places 

to fi nd food and safe places to breed 

and to escape harsh winter weather. 

Migration is no easy feat, however. 

Migrating birds must endure storms, 

bad weather, exhaustion, and natural 

obstacles such as mountain ranges. 

They also encounter many humanmade challenges and obstacles as well, 

including habitat destruction, pollution, 

and structures that disorient them, such 

as skyscrapers and lighthouses. 

All kinds of birds migrate, from large 

cranes and geese to small songbirds 

and tiny hummingbirds. A few species 

fl y non-stop, some for several days, 

covering great distances. But most 

birds stop along the way to rest and 

refuel. Finding habitat that will 

provide them with the food 

and shelter they need 

during their journey 

is vital to their survival.

 65% of all bird species migrate.

 About 326 bird species—60% of all North American birds—

use the Mississippi River Basin as their migratory fl yway.

 40% of all North American migratory waterfowl 

use the Mississippi River corridor during their 

spring and fall migration.

 The Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary (RMBS) is designated 

an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.

 The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge 

is designated a Globally Important Bird Area. Many species of 

birds stopover or nest along its 261 miles of Mississippi River 

fl oodplain from Wabasha, MN, to Rock Island, IL: 

• 50% of canvasback ducks 

• 20% of the eastern U.S. population of tundra swans 

• 167 active bald eagle nests in recent years

• 2,700 bald eagles stop during spring migration

• 5,000 herons and egrets nest in up to 15 colonies

In this lesson, we continue to explore life sciences 

while developing research skills. Students use 

traditional library research methods as well as 

Internet technology to discover information about 

bird migrations and the Mississippi Flyway. They 

then apply life science and geographic knowledge 

and use their creativity in the Classroom Migration 

activity, which incorporates visual arts standards 

by asking students to draw, paint, or build 

dioramas of migration stopovers. By exploring the 

habitat requirements of migratory birds, students 

also gain insight into the balance needed between 

wetland protection and economic development, 

which aligns with science in personal and social 

perspectives standards.

In this lesson, we continue to explore life sciences this lesson, we continue to explore life sciences
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | 91

How do they know when it’s time to go?

The change in the length of daylight, which causes 

hormonal changes in birds, is the main cue that lets 

birds know it’s time to migrate. As the time to migrate 

approaches, birds eat as much as they can to store energy 

for the trip.

How do birds fi nd their way?

Scientists are still investigating all the possible ways 

birds navigate during long migrations, but many believe 

birds orientate themselves using the position of the sun 

during the day and the stars at night, just as humans 

have done for millennia. Studies also suggest birds use 

a combination of other abilities, including sensing the 

earth’s magnetic fi elds and using visual landmarks such 

as coastlines, rivers, and mountains. 

Mississippi Flyway

Birds follow the Mississippi Flyway to fl y from central 

Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Some use it to migrate 

from the Arctic Ocean to Patagonia in South America. 

They choose this route because of its north-south 

orientation, lack of large obstacles such as mountain 

ranges, and its abundance of habitat, including channels, 

backwaters, sloughs, wetlands, and adjacent uplands.
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

92 | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Going the distance

Several species make incredibly long 

migrations each year traveling from 

summer breeding grounds to winter 

feeding areas. 

• American avocets prefer open water 

and marshy habitats as they migrate 

between southern wintering and 

northern breeding grounds.

• American white pelicans travel 

along the Mississippi River Flyway 

between their summer breeding 

grounds in central Canada and their 

wintering grounds in the southern 

United States and Central America.

• Barn swallows migrate more than 

6,000 miles each year from the arctic 

to South America.

• Sandhill cranes depend on wetlands 

as places to rest and refuel on their 

spring and fall migrations from 

southern United States and 

Mexico to Canada. 

• Tundra swans can fl y as 

fast as 80 miles per hour 

and as high as 4,000 feet. 

Fun Fact!

The monarch is the only 

butterfl y that migrates north 

and south. No one individual 

can make the entire trip. It 

takes three or four generations 

to complete the migration from 

Mexico to Canada and back again. 

During the migration female 

monarchs lay their eggs along the 

way and their offspring fi nish the trip. 

Tundra swan

Monarch butterfl y

Sandhill crane

Barn swallow

American white pelican

American avocets
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | 93

Discussion (about 20 minutes)

Begin the discussion about bird migration by 

asking students questions about how their 

families prepare for a long trip. Do they plan 

trips based on the seasons? How do they 

fi nd their way? What do they eat? Where and 

how often do they stop to rest or sleep? Use 

this personal context to introduce students 

to vocabulary and key concepts about bird 

migration and center the discussion on the 

three main questions:

Why do birds migrate?

How do they know when it’s time to go?

How do birds fi nd their way?

Introduce the Mississippi Flyway as one of 

four important migratory fl yways in North 

America using the fl yway map and discuss the 

importance of wetlands to migrating birds. 

Something Told

the Wild Geese

Something told the wild geese

It was time to go.

Though the fi elds lay golden

Something whispered, “Snow.”

Leaves were green and stirring,

Berries, luster-glossed,

But beneath warm feathers

Something cautioned, “Frost.”

All the sagging orchards

Steamed with amber spice,

But each wild breast stiffened

At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese

It was time to fl y—

Summer sun was on their wings,

Winter in their cry.

– Rachel Field

Flyway map

Download and print this map from the 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Digital 

Library website

(www.fws.gov/digitalmedia)

Media Format: Publication

Search keywords: Mississippi_Flywaymap.pdf
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

94 | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Activity 1

Mississippi

 Flyway 

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

What you’ll need

• Chairs, desks, or safety 

cones (if outside)

• Paper for drawing stopovers

• Paper for labeling stopovers 

and birds

• Student journals

• Tape

• Pencils

• Crayons

• Field guide

• Clipboard or other hard 

surface to write on

• Game cards (pages 96-97)

Classroom Style

Create a classroom “Mississippi Flyway” and have the students 

migrate around the room as birds. 

Do This

Step A: Warm-up 

1. Identify a cast of migratory birds for students to choose from 

and write them on the board. The Mississippi Flyway is used 

by large numbers of ducks, geese, shorebirds, blackbirds, 

sparrows, warblers, and thrushes. Suggestions for species: 

lesser scaup (duck), ring-neck duck, wood duck, hummingbird, 

northern shoveler (duck), American golden plover (shorebird), 

sanderling (shorebird), killdeer (shorebird), lesser yellowlegs 

(shorebird), Lincoln’s sparrow, Tennessee warbler, Swainson’s 

thrush, peregrine falcon (raptor), osprey (raptor), great egret, 

Caspian tern, and American white pelican.

2. Ask individual students or small groups to select one or more 

species to research. They will become that species (as an 

individual or a fl ock) for the classroom fl yway activity. They 

should fi nd out: 

• What their species eats

• Where their species rests 

• What are hazards their species may encounter

If possible, include more if you have the time 

and space. Adding local stopovers, such as 

community parks or farmers’ fi elds, will add 

interest and relevance.

Teacher 

 Tip

Plus student 

research time
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | 95

3. At a minimum, ask students to 

research the following Mississippi 

Flyway stopovers, noting the 

mix of ecosystems each contains 

(grassland, wetland, and riparian 

habitats). 

• Mississippi National River and 

Recreation Area

- www.nps.gov, search keywords 

“Mississippi River facts”

• Upper Mississippi River National 

Wildlife and Fish Refuge (along 

the river in four states)

- www.fws.gov, search keywords 

“Upper Mississippi refuge”

• Great River National Wildlife 

Refuge

- www.fws.gov, search keywords 

“Great River refuge”

• Delta National Wildlife Refuge

- www.fws.gov, search keywords 

“Delta refuge profi le”

• Riverlands Migratory Bird 

Sanctuary

 - www.mvs.usace.army.mil/rivers/

RMBS.html

4. Ask students to draw pictures of the 

ecosystems at each stopover.

5. Locate and label the fl yway 

stopovers and the wall map. 

Step B: Get ready

1. Rearrange the classroom to create 

at least fi ve stopovers using chairs, 

desks, or safety cones (if outside or 

in the gym).

2. Designate each area as one of the 

fl yway stopovers researched in class 

and mark with student drawings.

3. Print and cut out fi ve sets of game 

cards. Each set includes Go, Stop, 

and Yield cards. 

• GO cards send students forward. 

• YIELD cards make students pause, 

perform a task, and continue 

their journey.

• STOP cards mean that particular 

bird dies on the journey. 

• GO BACK cards make students 

encounter a hazard and go back to 

a previous rest stop.

4. Put a set of cards at each stopover. 

Step C: Migrate!

1. Have students use the game cards 

included in the lesson to migrate 

their bird around the classroom 

“fl yway,” fi rst north and then south 

with stops at the appropriate 

stopovers. 

2. At each stopover station, students 

read the card aloud and move 

accordingly. If students pull a STOP 

card, they should die a dramatic 

death and return to their seats OR 

they may join another student as 

part of their fl ock. The joining student 

follows the main student and does 

whatever his/her card says, as in 

“follow the leader.”

3. Ask students to log their journeys in 

a logbook or journal.
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

96 | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Game Cards

Copy this page 1-sided and cut each card out. Students take a card and read it aloud, place that 

card on the bottom of the deck and follow the directions. Students who “die a dramatic death” 

may join another student as part of his/her fl ock, following the fi rst student’s lead.

Do 

Ahead

GO

Sunny day. Perfect 

day for fl ying. Fly on 

to the next stopover.

GO BACK 

Wetland is GONE! 

Someone built an 

apartment building. 

Go back 1 stopover 

to rest and eat. 

YIELD 

POURING! Heavy 

rain. Stay here until 

you count to 100. 

Then fl y on to the 

next stopover.

STOP

OH NO! Eaten by 

a predator. Die a 

dramatic death. Log 

your death.

GO

Catch a breeze! 

Fly on to the next 

stopover.

YIELD 

OUCH! Diving for a 

fi sh, you get a hook 

in your wing. Stay 

at this stopover 

until an Audubon 

volunteer removes it. 

Stretch your wings 5 

times. Then fl y on to 

the next stopover.

YIELD 

Caught! A scientist 

is banding your legs 

so your fl ight can 

be tracked. Kick and 

fl ap your wings 10 

times. Then fl y on to 

the next stopover.

STOP

Bright lights 

ahead! Whoa, the 

lighthouse beam 

confused you. You 

crashed into it. Die a 

dramatic death. Log 

your death.

GO

Ride’em...barge? 

Caught a ride on 

a barge. Go to the 

next stopover.

YIELD 

Smell that! It’s your 

favorite food. You 

stay to eat your fi ll. 

Sing a happy song. 

Then fl y on to the 

next stopover.

GO BACK 

Holy frozen fi sh! 

Pond stopover is still 

frozen. Go back 1 

stopover. 

STOP

Watch OUT. Airplane 

ahead. Oh No! You 

fl ew into it. Die a 

dramatic death. Log 

your death.

GO

Mmmm good! A 

farmer has planted 

your favorite berries. 

Fly on to the next 

stopover. 

YIELD 

BRRRRR Frost last 

night. Flap your 

wings 10 times to 

warm yourself. Then 

fl y on to the next 

stopover.

YIELD 

Whew! You have 

been fl ying all night 

and are very tired. 

Count to 100 while 

you rest some more. 

Then fl y on to the 

next stopover.

STOP

OH NO! You fl ew 

into the side of a 

glass building. Die a 

dramatic death. Log 

your death.

Activity 1
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | 97

Game Cards

Copy this page 1-sided and cut each card out. Students take a card and read it aloud, place that 

card on the bottom of the deck and follow the directions. Students who “die a dramatic death” 

may join another student as part of his/her fl ock, following the fi rst student’s lead.

Do 

Ahead

GO

Flying high! You 

fl ew high enough to 

catch a fast tailwind. 

Fly on to the next 

stopover.

YIELD 

Yuck! Someone 

sprayed the fi eld 

with pesticide. Roll 

on the fl oor and 

moan 6 times. Then 

fl y on to the next 

stopover.

YIELD 

Tornado blew you 

off course. Spell 

“migration” aloud 5 

times. Then fl y on to 

the next stopover.

GO

Hooray! You made it 

to a National Wildlife 

Refuge! Your’re 

protected here. 

Fly on to the next 

stopover.

GO

Do you hear birds 

singing! Sing your 

favorite song. Then 

fl y on to the next 

stopover. 

YIELD 

You spotted a 

potential mate. Do 

a courtship dance! 

Flap your arms and 

run in circles while 

you count to 50. 

Then fl y on to the 

next stopover.

GO 

Yum. School kids 

planted some of 

your favorite food. 

Now you’re all 

fueled up. Fly on to 

the next stopover.

STOP

OH NO!

You got caught by 

someone’s cat. Die a 

dramatic death. Log 

your death.

GO

Mayfl ies are 

hatching! Mayfl ies 

are hatching!

Eat up and fl y on to 

the next stopover.

YIELD 

Holy Hurricane, 

Batman! Blown off 

course. Circle the 

stopover 10 times. 

Then fl y on to the 

next stopover.

YIELD 

Watch Out! Almost 

hit by a jet ski. Lie 

down and count to 

10. Then fl y on to the 

next stopover.

YIELD 

Pea Soup? Fog? 

Draw a picture of 

yourself as a bird as 

you wait for the fog 

to clear. Then fl y on 

to the next stopover.

STOP

OH NO! You perched 

on a faulty power 

line. Die a dramatic 

death. Log your 

death.

YIELD

Hold up! The 

youngsters need 

to rest. Hop on 1 

foot and recite the 

4 times table. Then 

fl y on to the next 

stopover.

STOP 

OH NO! You cannot 

fi nd a safe place to 

stop! You become 

too tired to go 

on. Die a dramatic 

death. Log your 

death.

GO

Students created 

bird habitat in their 

schoolyard! It’s the 

perfect place to eat 

and rest. Fly on to 

the next stopover.
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

Canada

Upper Mississippi River NWFR, MN

Upper Mississippi River NWFR, WI

Upper Mississippi River NWFR, IL

Upper Mississippi River NWFR, IA

Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, IL

Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, MO

Great River National Wildlife Refuge, MO

Delta National Wildlife Refuge, LA

Central America

(Your City Park)

98 | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Activity 1

Stopover Labels

Copy this page 1-sided and cut each label out. To add your city park or another regional stopover, 

adjust your copier so that the light gray box description does not copy. Enlarge these labels on 

the copier as necessary. Then fi ll in your regional stopover. Suggestion: Have students draw, paint 

or build dioramas for each stopover.

NWFR = National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

Do 

Ahead
Lesson 2.2

UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | 99

 Become a citizen scientist

Students can become citizen 

scientists by recording their sightings 

online at Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s 

eBird website www.ebird.org. Click 

Submit Observations.

What you’ll need

• Observation sheet 

(pages 100-101) or a 

notebook journal

• Paper

• Pencil

• Clipboard

• Binoculars

• Hat

• Waterproof boots

or shoes

• Field guide

Bird Watching

 Field Trip

During spring or fall, take students on a half-day fi eld trip to 

a local birding hotspot or National Wildlife Refuge to watch 

birds. You can fi nd a map of refuges on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife 

Service website: www.fws.gov/refuges.

Do This

1. Prior to the fi eld trip, have each student research four 

common migratory bird species in your area, focusing on 

identifying features, habitat, food sources, and migration 

destination. See the list of birds in Activity 1 on page 94

for suggestions.

2. At the site, remind students they are guests in the birds’ 

home. They should talk softly, walk slowly, and observe birds 

from a distance using binoculars so as not to disturb them, 

especially birds on nests. 

3. Have students complete their observation sheets in the fi eld 

and draw a picture of each bird.

Activity 2

Activity Extension

Class or small 

group activity

Grades

5–6

1 half day fi eld trip

The American Museum of Natural History’s 

book, Birds of North America, is an excellent 

reference about birds.

Teacher 

 Tip

Once threatened with 

extinction, the eastern 

bluebird has made a strong 

comeback, thanks to 

backyard birders who 

put up and monitored 

nesting boxes.
100 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

 Species: GREAT EGRET Time of day: 11:25 AM

 Habitat: Wooded swamps and ponds Where was the bird?

Standing on a rock

What was the bird doing?

Watching the water Food source: Fish, snakes, frogs and other birds

 Migration: From U.S. to Mexico, Latin and South America

Drawing of the bird:

 Size: 38" length and 51" wingspan

 Identifying features: 

 - all white

 - yellow beak

 - dark legs and feet

 Species: KILLDEER Time of day: 1:25 PM

 Habitat: Prefers open areas, especially around water Where was the bird?

On a sandbar

What was the bird doing?

Resting Food source: insects, earthworms, snails

 Migration: From Canada and Northern U.S. to 

Mexico

Drawing of the bird:

 Size: 10" length and 24" wingspan

 Identifying features:

 - small bird with long slender legs

 - brown back and white breast

 - black collar and black band 

 across breast

 Species: Time of day: 

 Habitat: Where was the bird? What was the bird doing?

 Food source:

 Migration: Drawing of the bird:

 Size:

 Identifying features:

Bird Watching

Observation Chart

g of the bird:

Name Date 

EXAMPLE EXAMPLE
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 101

 Species: Time of day: 

 Habitat: Where was the bird? What was the bird doing?

 Food source:

 Migration: Drawing of the bird:

 Size:

 Identifying features:

 Species: Time of day: 

 Habitat: Where was the bird? What was the bird doing?

 Food source:

 Migration: Drawing of the bird:

 Size:

 Identifying features:

 Species: Time of day: 

 Habitat: Where was the bird? What was the bird doing?

 Food source:

 Migration: Drawing of the bird:

 Size:

 Identifying features:
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 2

Lesson 2.2

102 | 2.2 Just Passing Through: Bird Migrations and... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 Career launch

Invite a birdwatcher, 

ornithologist or 

wildlife biologist

to speak to the 

class. Ask students 

to research the fi eld and prepare 

questions in advance. See A1: 

Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Explore

• Celebrate International 

Migratory Bird Day. Learn more 

at www.birdday.org.

• Build a bird feeder. Visit the 

Audubon Society’s web site 

for instructions on building 

birdfeeders from a variety 

of materials, including 

recycled milk cartons 

(www.audubon.org) Click on: 

Education > Educators’ lounge 

> Nature activities

 Get out!

Visit a National Recreation Trail

operated by the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers along the Mississippi 

River. Go to www.usace.army.mil

Keyword search: National 

Recreation Trails

Learn more online

Play an online bird migration 

game on the Smithsonian 

Migratory Bird Center website 

(nationalzoo.si.edu)

Keyword search: Bird game

Learn about fl yways from the 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

website (www.fl yways.us) or 

download the PDF at www.

iptv.org/mississippi/lessonplans/

ActivityPDFs/Science/Flyaways.pdf

Learn about birds and other 

wildlife and when and where 

to see them from the Upper 

Mississippi River National 

Wildlife Refuge website (www.

fws.gov)

Keyword search: Midwest Upper 

Mississippi River

Click on: Wildlife observation

Visit the Mississippi National 

River and Recreation Area

website (www.nps.gov/miss)

Keyword: Animals

Kids and Nature... a Match 

Made in the Outdoors. Go to 

www.usace.army.mil

Keyword search: Kids and nature

Learn about birdwatching 

and bird migration and see a 

directory of bird watching clubs 

by state at the U.S. Geological 

Society website (www.

birdingguide.com) 

Explore bird migration at the U.S. 

Geological Survey website (www.

npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/

migratio/index.htm)

Find additional educational 

resources online on the 

Council for Environmental 

Education’s Flying Wild website 

(www.fl yingwild.org), the 

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s 

Education Program website 

(www.birds.cornell.edu/

education), or the Smithsonian 

Migratory Bird Center website 

(www.nationalzoo.si.edu)

Keyword search: Migratory birds

Additional places to learn 

about birds:

• Riverlands Migratory

 Bird Sanctuary

 (www.mvs.usace.army.mil/rivers)

• Audubon Society

 (www.audubon.org)

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology

 (www.birds.cornell.edu)

Extension Suggestions
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River | 103

Lesson 2.3

Well River 

Checkup:

Assessing the Health of the River

Introduction

In Lesson 2.3 Well River Checkup: 

Assessing the Health of the River, 

students learn how their actions 

become part of the water cycle 

and impact the health of the water 

supply. They trace how the everyday 

action of washing a car can impact 

the environment, and they test pond 

water for its phosphate content. 

Background

A safe supply of water is the most important element of 

a healthy society, yet about 1/3 of the world’s population 

doesn’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. Drinking 

contaminated water is a major cause of disease and illness 

around the world.

Many people don’t think about where their water comes 

from or where it goes. We trust the water that comes out of 

our pipes is safe and clean, and we don’t think much about it 

after it goes down the drain. 

In most homes, the water that goes down the sinks, showers, 

and toilets fl ows to the wastewater treatment plant, where it 

is treated before it is discharged into the Mississippi River. 

However, pollutants from yards and streets that fl ow into 

storm drains are not treated. They travel directly into our 

creeks, wetlands, lakes, and the Mississippi River and harm 

or even kill the plants and animals that live there.

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Stormwater SMART, Piedmont Triad Council of 

Governments; University of Minnesota, Department of Chemistry; Upper Mississippi River Basin 

Association; U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources of the United States; Wilkes University 

Center for Environmental Quality, Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences; Wisconsin Department 

of Natural Resources.

 Unit 2 goal reminder

Explore the ecosystems of 

the Mississippi River and 

how humans affect them

 Lesson goal

Understand we all use 

and reuse the same water

 Lesson objectives

• Understand point 

and non-point pollution

• Examine the effects of 

detergents and fertilizers 

on aquatic life

• Test for dissolved oxygen

in water samples

• Determine the relationship 

between pollutants and 

dissolved oxygen in water

• Collect and interpret data

 Educational standards

• Physical Science

• Life Science

• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

 What you’ll need

• Distilled water

• Mud or dirt

• Water plants and gravel 

• Long-handled spoon 

or thin gardening trowel

• 3 half-gallon glass jars

• Masking tape/pens for labels

• Measuring spoons

• Fertilizer containing phosphates

• Dissolved oxygen test kit

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 30 min.

• Activity 1: 15 min.

• Activity 2: 2 weeks

 What’s next?

Learn about the endangered 

species in your state and how 

you can help
Commercial car wash

The Clean Water Act 

requires professional 

car washes to pipe 

their dirty water to 

water treatment 

facilities or into stateapproved drainage 

facilities designed 

to protect the 

environment

C

T

r

c

t

w

f

UNIT 2

104 | 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.3

Storm drain/ 

catch basin

Washing your car at home 

or on the street: The average 

person washing a car with 

a hose uses between 80-140 

gallons of water per washing

Sudsy water

made by 

detergents with 

phosphates

Stream depositing into 

the Mississippi River

Storm drain runoff 

into nearby stream

Waste management center

Treatment facilities clean waste 

water before discharging it back 

into the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

Go Commercial

When it comes to washing your car, there's no 

home advantage. Taking it to a commercial car 

wash is an eco-friendly alternative. Washing 

your car at home wastes water and washes 

pollutants—including oil, gas, and phosphates 

from fertilizers and detergents—down the 

storm drain and directly into rivers and 

streams untreated. 

Trash and 

debris

Oil and gas 

drippings
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River | 105

Lesson 2.3

 Check faucets for leaks. Even 

a slow drip can waste 15 to 

20 gallons every day.

 Take shorter showers 

and install a water-saving 

showerhead. 

 Turn off the water while 

brushing your teeth. 

 Use a shut-off nozzle to water 

your plants.

 Let the rain water your lawn

 Replace your old toilet to a 

low-fl ow model and save 

about 2 gallons per fl ush.

Need to Know

• Pollution: The contamination of air, water, or soil by 

substances that are harmful to living organisms, usually 

caused by human activities. Pollution is divided into two 

main categories:

- Point source: Pollution that can be traced back to a 

single origin or source, such as a sewage treatment 

plant discharge.

- Non-point source: Pollution that cannot be traced back to 

a single origin or source, such as stormwater runoff, water 

runoff from urban areas, and failed septic systems.

• Contaminants enter the Mississippi River untreated from 

runoff and stormwater drains. Treated wastewater enters 

the river directly through discharge pipes from industry and 

wastewater treatment plants. Contaminants include: 

- Pesticides and herbicides: Substances, chemical or 

biological, used to prevent or destroy pests, such as 

unwanted rodents, insects, plants, and fungi.

- Petroleum: A naturally occurring, fl ammable liquid 

consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and 

other organic compounds. Includes fuels (gasoline, diesel 

fuel, jet fuel) and lubricants (motor oil).

- Toxic metals, such as mercury, lead, and arsenic.

- Nitrate: A form of nitrogen, a plant nutrient used in 

fertilizer. Excess amounts can cause an overgrowth 

of bacteria and algae, which can deplete oxygen 

and kill fi sh.

- Phosphate: A form of phosphorus, a plant nutrient used in 

fertilizers, detergents, matches, explosives, and pesticides. 

Like nitrogen, it can lead to an overgrowth of bacteria and 

algae, which can deplete oxygen and kill fi sh.

• The two most-common contaminants in the Mississippi 

River are PCBs and mercury. These chemicals often 

bioaccumulate in species as you move up the food chain 

from one trophic level to the next. See the defi nitions 

on page 80.

- PCBs are human-made organic chemicals known as 

chlorinated hydrocarbons, used as a cooling agent 

for transformers, carbonless papers, cutting oils and 

hydraulic fl uids. They were banned because of their 

toxicity in 1979. Very stable compounds, PCBs do not 

break down quickly or easily, which is why they are still 

a problem today.

- Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is toxic at 

certain levels. Mercury was used in the making of paints, 

agricultural chemicals, and in mining and smelting. Today, 

mercury mainly enters the environment as air pollution 

from the burning of coal and falls from the air 

to accumulate in streams and oceans. 

The activities and discussions in this lesson 

focus on the content standards for life science 

(populations and ecosystems; diversity and 

adaptations of organisms) and physical 

science (properties) with an emphasis on 

inquiry and active learning. To make these 

activities and discussions relevant and 

personal, they are placed in the context of 

science in personal and social perspectives 

wherever possible. 

The activities and discussions in this lesson activities and discussions in this lesson

What can I do

to SAVE water?
UNIT 2

Discussion (about 30 minutes)

In Unit 1 we learned about the water 

cycle, so we know that the amount of 

water on earth has always been the 

same. What does that tell us about the 

water we drink? 

As water travels over or through the 

ground, it dissolves minerals and picks 

up substances left by people, pets, or 

wildlife. Untreated water can contain a 

variety of contaminants, including:

• Microscopic organisms from sewage 

or animals, such as bacteria

• Fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel) 

and lubricants (motor oil)

• Heavy metals, such as mercury and 

arsenic

• Industrial chemicals and detergents

• Fertilizers

• Pesticides

Where does water go after we use it?

Usually one of two places: storm drains

and sewage systems.

Storm drains collect water from outside 

our homes and businesses and carry 

it, untreated, directly to streams and 

rivers. Only rain should go into storm 

drains, not trash, oil, or other pollutants.

Sewers collect water from inside homes 

and businesses and carry it to treatment 

plants, where it is cleaned before it 

reaches streams and rivers.

106 | 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.3

In every glass of water we drink, 

some of the water has already 

passed through fishes, trees, 

bacteria, worms in the soil, and 

many other organisms, including 

people... Living systems cleanse 

water and make it fit.

– Elliot A. Norse, Conservation Biologist, 1985

 The Upper Mississippi River provides 

water to approximately 2.8 million people.

 More than 7 billion gallons of water are 

withdrawn from surface water sources 

each day. 

 Approximately 278 facilities discharge 

wastewater into the Upper Mississippi 

River, including industrial facilities and 

municipal sewage treatment plants.

 Dumping 1 quart of motor oil down the 

storm drain can pollute 250,000 gallons 

of water.

 Water consumed washing cars:

 • At home: 80-140 gallons

 • At a professional car wash: 30-45 gallons

Some communities have 

combined systems that 

collect wastewater and 

storm runoff together in one 

pipe. During heavy rainfall, 

this system can overfl ow, 

discharging untreated 

wastewater directly into 

streams and rivers.
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River | 107

Class or small 

group activity

Grades

5–6

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet

(pages 108–109)

Virtual

 Car Wash

Washing your car at home wastes water and washes pollutants in 

rivers and streams untreated. Most people keep their hoses running 

while they wash their cars. By the time they are through they can 

see the water draining down the driveway and into the street. The 

average person washing a car uses between 80-140 gallons of water 

per washing.

Do This

1. Ask students, where does used water go when you wash a car 

in your driveway? Have students use the graphic to trace its 

path on the activity worksheet.

2. What does it carry with it? Think about what may be on the car, 

on the driveway, in the street. 

3. Instead of letting the water run, use a bucket and a hose with 

a shut-off nozzle and wash your car on the grass so the soapy 

water soaks into the ground. Better yet, take the car to the local 

car wash. At all car washes, the water will be treated before it is 

returned to the river.

Activity 1

1. The water goes down into the driveway 

into the storm drain, which empties into 

the Mississippi River untreated directly or 

through a tributary. 

2. Soapy water plus grease and grime on a car 

contains asphalt from the roads, asbestos 

from the brakes, oil and gasoline that has 

dripped from the car, rubber particles from 

the tires, toxic metals, and rust.

3. Instead of letting the water run, use a bucket 

and a hose with a shut-off nozzle and wash 

your car on the grass so the soapy water 

soaks into the ground. Better yet, take the car 

to the local car wash. At all car washes, 

the water will be treated before it is returned 

to the river.

Check out your local car wash! 

• Ask them how they dispose of their used water. Does it go to a 

treatment facility? Do they treat it on site and reuse it?

• How many cars do they wash in one week? How much water do 

they use per car? Figure out the total gallons of water they use 

in one week.

Answer Key
108 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Virtual Car Wash

Do This

• Plan a virtual car wash. Write down what you need.

• Follow the water. Mark the path of the water used to wash your car on the drawing.

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 109

Answer the following questions

1. Where does used water go when you wash a car in your driveway? 

 ________________________________________________________________

 ________________________________________________________________

 ________________________________________________________________

2. What does it carry with it? Think about what may be on the car, on the driveway, 

in the street. 

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

3. What can you do to protect the environment AND have a clean car?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.3

110 | 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

Activity 2

What you’ll need

• Water, plants (including 

roots), and mud from a pond

• Long-handled spoon or thin 

gardening trowel

• 3 half-gallon, glass 

canning jars

• Masking tape/pens for labels

• Measuring spoons

• Fertilizer containing 

phosphates

• Dissolved oxygen test kit 

(available at aquarium 

supply stores)

• Activity worksheet 

(pages 112-113)

Runoff from fertilizers and detergents containing phosphates 

can have adverse effects on waterways and aquatic life. They 

cause excess nutrient levels that can lead to an overgrowth of 

bacteria and algae, which can deplete oxygen and kill fi sh.

Phosphates 

 in Your Water

Do this

1. Collect water, plants (including 

roots), and mud from a pond. 

Be sure to get permission 

from property owner before 

collecting pond water or 

other items.

2. Plant equal amounts of water 

plants in three half-gallon, 

wide-mouth canning jars. Use 

a long-handled spoon to make 

sure the roots of the plants are 

securely in the mud mixture. 

3. Slowly pour pond water 

into the jar. Try not to stir up 

the mud too much.

4. Label jars 1 through 3. 

5. Place the appropriate 

amount of fertilizer in each 

jar using the amounts listed 

in the chart.

6. Measure the amount of 

dissolved oxygen in each 

jar according to the kit 

directions and record it on the 

activity sheet.

7. Put all the jars in a sunny 

location.

8. Observe daily for 2 weeks and 

record your observations.

9. On day 7 and day 14, measure 

the amount of dissolved oxygen 

in each jar again and record it 

on the activity sheet.

10. Record, analyze, and discuss 

your observations.

Analysis

At the end of the experiment, 

which jar had the most 

vigorously growing plants? 

Answer is Jar 3: 1 tsp fertilizer

Which one had the least 

dissolved oxygen? Answer 

should be Jar 3: 1 tsp fertilizer

Conclusions

What would happen in a stream that 

has an excess of phosphates, warm 

temperatures, and good sunlight? 

Answer: Phosphates stimulate the 

overgrowth of plants. As the plants 

die, decomposers grow rapidly and 

consume oxygen. This lowers the 

oxygen level, suffocating fi sh and 

other organisms that require oxygen.
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River | 111

Progress Samples

Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels vary with water temperature and altitude. 

Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water, and water holds less 

oxygen at higher altitudes. DO levels also fl uctuate seasonally and over 

a 24-hour period. DO should average between 5.0 and 7.0 ppm. PPM 

(parts per million) is equal to milligrams of DO per liter of water.

Teacher 

 Tip

Day 1

Dissolved 

oxygen

Varies

Varies

Varies

Varies

Varies

Varies

Varies

Varies

Varies

Dissolved 

oxygen

Dissolved 

oxygen

Day 7

Day 14

Jar 2: 

1/2 tsp 

fertilizer

Jar 3: 

1 tsp 

fertilizer

Jar 1: 

Control

(no fertilizer)
112 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Phosphates in Your Water

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

During the next two weeks, you will observe and record what happens to 3 jars of 

pond water when you add different amounts of detergent containing phosphates.

Materials

• Water, plants (including roots), and mud from a pond

• Long-handled spoon or thin gardening trowel

• 3 half-gallon, glass canning jars

• Masking tape/pens for labels

• Measuring spoons

• Fertilizer containing phosphates

• Dissolved oxygen test kit (available at aquarium supply stores)

Do This

1 Collect water, plants (including 

roots), and mud from a pond. Be 

sure to get permission from the 

property owner before collecting 

pond water or other items.

2 Plant equal amounts of water plants 

in three half-gallon, wide-mouth 

canning jars. Use a long-handled 

spoon to make sure the roots of 

the plants are securely in the 

mud mixture.

3 Slowly pour pond water into 

the jar. Try not to stir up the mud 

too much.

4 Label jars 1 through 3. 

5 Place the appropriate amount 

of fertilizer in each jar using the 

amounts listed in the chart.

6 Measure the amount of dissolved 

oxygen in each jar according to the 

kit directions and record it on the 

activity sheet.

7 Put all the jars in a sunny location.

8 Observe daily for 2 weeks and record 

your observations.

9 On day 7 and day 14, measure 

the amount of dissolved oxygen in 

each jar again and record it on the 

activity sheet.

10 Record, analyze, and discuss your 

observations.
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 113

Analysis

At the end of 

the experiment, 

which jar had the 

most vigorously 

growing plants? 

____________________

Which one 

had the least 

dissolved oxygen?

____________________

Day 1

Dissolved 

oxygen

Dissolved 

oxygen

Dissolved 

oxygen

Day 7

Day 14

Jar 2: 

1/2 tsp 

fertilizer

Jar 3: 

1 tsp 

fertilizer

Jar 1: 

Control

(no fertilizer)

Conclusion

What would happen in a stream that has an excess of phosphates, warm 

temperatures, and good sunlight? _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
WRITING EXTENSION

UNIT 2

Lesson 2.3

114 | 2.3 Well River Check-up: Assessing the Health of the River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Use the news release (on the next page) 

from the University of Minnesota to engage 

students in inquiry by developing research 

questions. Ask students to read the news 

release and discuss what the fi ndings 

do—and do not—tell us. Focus students’ 

attention on the fi nal paragraph in the 

news release, “The toxicity of the dioxins 

derived from triclosan currently is not 

well understood, nor is the extent of their 

distribution in the environment at large,” 

to begin the discussions. 

These research questions can then be used 

for a writing assignment that requires 

students to research and access a variety 

of sources and communicate fi ndings, or 

they could be used to design and conduct 

an experiment. 

Extension Suggestions

Grades

9–12

Individual 

activity

To stun fi sh before examining 

them, fi sh biologists often 

use backpack-mounted 

electrofi shers in smaller 

streams and boat-mounted 

electrofi shers in deeper bodies 

of water. It allows biologists 

to sample fi sh populations to 

determine abundance, density, 

and species composition. 

When performed correctly, 

electrofi shing results in no 

permanent harm to fi sh.

Upper Grade Level Activity

 Career launch

Invite a local 

hydrologist or

microbiologist 

to speak to the 

class. Ask students to 

research the fi eld and prepare 

questions in advance. See A1: 

Career Launch on page 312 

for career information and 

professional associations.

Get out!

• Volunteer to monitor water 

quality in your state’s lakes 

and rivers. Contact your 

state Department of Natural 

Resources for information. 

• Visit the National Great Rivers 

Research and Education Center 

in Alton, Illinois, to learn 

more about the health of the 

Mississippi River. The Center’s 

scholars and scientists study 

the ecology of the river and 

its tributaries, the watersheds 

that feed them, and the river 

communities that use them. 

Visit online at www.ngrrec.org

Stencil stormdrains

Stencil stormdrains to remind 

people not to pollute our 

watershed. Go to the Friends of 

the Mississippi River website, 

www.fmr.org, and search 

keyword: stenciling.

World Water

Monitoring Day

Celebrate World Water Monitoring 

Day on September 18. Join in the 

effort to monitor water quality 

between March and December 

each year. Learn more at

www.worldwatermonitoringday.org.
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 115

Well River Checkup

Assessing the Health of the River

Name ______________________________________ Date _______________

Read, analyze, and hypothesize

1. Read the news release below from the University of Minnesota.

2. Think about what else you would want to know about the issue.

3. Develop three research questions that you could use to write a 

research paper or design an experiment.

University of Minnesota 

News Release

University of Minnesota study fi nds rising 

levels of dioxins from common soap 

ingredient in Mississippi River sediments

Dioxins in general decreasing, but those 

derived from triclosan increasing

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/18/2010)

Specifi c dioxins derived from the antibacterial 

agent triclosan, used in many hand soaps, 

deodorants, dishwashing liquids, and other 

consumer products, account for an increasing 

proportion of total dioxins in Mississippi 

River sediments, according to University 

of Minnesota research. The study appears 

online in the May 18 issue of the journal 

Environmental Science and Technology. 

The researchers, from the university’s 

Institute of Technology (soon to be College 

of Science and Engineering), found that over 

the last 30 years, the levels of the four dioxins 

derived from triclosan have risen by 200 

to 300 percent, while levels of all the other 

dioxins have dropped by 73 to 90 percent.

In April, the Food and Drug Administration 

announced it would study the safety 

of triclosan, which has been linked to 

disruptions of hormonal function and may 

also play a role in the evolution of bacterial 

resistance to antibiotics. In papers published 

in 2003 and 2009, university civil engineering 

professor William Arnold and his colleague 

Kristopher McNeill, a former professor in 

the university’s Department of Chemistry, 

discovered that triclosan, when exposed to 

sunlight, generated a specifi c suite of four 

dioxins.

In the current study spearheaded by Jeff 

Buth, a recent Ph.D. graduate in chemistry 

(supervised by Arnold and McNeill), the 

researchers examined sediment core samples 

from Lake Pepin, an enlargement of the 

Mississippi River 120 miles downstream 

from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. 

The sediment cores, containing a record of 

pollutant accumulation in the lake for the past 

50 years, were analyzed for triclosan, the four 

dioxins derived from triclosan, and the entire 

family of dioxin chemicals. The study was a 

collaborative effort between researchers at 

the University of Minnesota, Pace Analytical 

(Minneapolis), the Science Museum of 

Minnesota, and Virginia Tech.

“These four dioxins only come from triclosan. 

They didn’t exist in Lake Pepin before 

triclosan was introduced,” Arnold said. “In 

the most current sediments, these triclosanderived dioxins account for about 30 percent 

of the total dioxin mass.”

Read Below
116 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Research Questions

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________

Triclosan was fi rst added to commercial 

liquid hand soap in 1987, and by 2001 about 

76 percent of commercial liquid hand soaps 

contained it, researchers say. About 96 

percent of triclosan from consumer products 

is disposed of in residential drains, leading to 

large loads of the chemical in water entering 

wastewater treatment plants.

Triclosan is incompletely removed during 

the wastewater treatment process, and 

when treated wastewater is released to the 

environment, sunlight converts some of 

the triclosan (and related compounds) into 

dioxins. Triclosan and the dioxins ended up in 

Lake Pepin sediments by sticking to organic 

particles in the river, which then sank when 

they reached the calmer waters of the lake. 

The toxicity of the dioxins derived from 

triclosan currently is not well understood, 

nor is the extent of their distribution in the 

environment at large, Arnold says.

End of article
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species... | 117

Lesson 2.4

Life on the Brink:

Endangered Species of the 

Upper Mississippi River

Introduction

Lesson 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered 

Species of the Upper Mississippi River builds 

on the knowledge and skills learned in lessons 

2.1 and 2.2 to learn and share about local 

endangered species and create habitat for 

wildlife in the schoolyard.

Background

In the history of life on earth there have been at least fi ve 

mass extinctions, each caused by natural disasters and 

processes. Using mathematical modeling, scientists estimate 

that of all the species that have lived on the Earth since life 

fi rst appeared here three billion years ago, 

only about one in a thousand 

species is still living today. 

That means 99.9% of all 

species that have ever lived 

are now extinct. 

Extinction is a natural process. 

It is a normal part of evolution. 

But the current extinction rate is 

anything but natural. We are now 

at the beginning of a new sixth 

extinction. It is unlike anything 

since the end of the dinosaurs. 

But this time the cause is different. 

It is the result of the spread 

of just one species—us.

 Unit 2 goal reminder

Explore the ecosystems

of the Mississippi River and

how humans affect them

 Lesson goal

Learn how we can help 

endangered species that 

depend on the Upper 

Mississippi River

 Lesson objectives

• Defi ne terms related 

to ecosystems of the 

Mississippi River

• Identify endangered species 

in your local area

• Design and plant a school 

wildlife garden

 Educational standards

• Physical Science

• Life Science

• Geography

• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

 What you’ll need

• Nature magazines

• Access to the Internet 

• Shovels

• Hoes

• Rakes

• Plants

• Plant seeds

• Water containers or hose

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 30 min.

• Activity 1: 15 min.

• Activity 2: 3-4 days

 What’s next?

Learn how we can make a 

difference in our environment

Karner Blue Butterfl y 

(Lycaeides melissa 

samuelis)

Gray Wolf 

(Canis lupus)
UNIT 2

The United States has more ecosystems and habitat 

types than any other nation. They support species of 

plants and animals found nowhere else on earth.

The Upper Mississippi River Basin provides critically 

important habitat for 286 state-listed, 36 federallisted, or candidate species of rare, threatened, or 

endangered plants and animals.

Number of endangered species that depend on the 

Upper Mississippi River by state:

118 | 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.4

More than 500 species in North America 

have disappeared in less than 400 years. 

Scientists estimate that the natural 

extinction rate is approximately one 

species lost in every 100 years. As much 

as 20 percent of all living populations 

could become extinct by 2028.

Why are more species going 

extinct today?

More species are going extinct today 

because we are altering the air, water, 

and land faster than species can adapt. 

Most species have the ability to adapt 

to a changing environment. But if the 

changes become too severe in their 

ecosystem, they cannot survive.

Endangered Species Act 

In 1973, the U.S. Congress passed the 

Endangered Species Act. Its purpose is 

to conserve and protect threatened 

and endangered species and the 

ecosystems they depend on to survive. 

Because species are linked and 

dependent upon each other within their 

ecosystems, the loss of just one plant 

species can cause up to 30 other 

species to disappear with it.

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Endangered Species 

Protection Program; National Wildlife Federation; National Park Service; 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive 

Species Protection and Management System; U.S. Fish & Wildlife 

Service Endangered Species Program; U.S. Geological Survey; Wildlife 

Conservation Society; World Wildlife Fund.

 Illinois: 24 listings

 Iowa: 12 listings

 Minnesota: 12 listings

 Missouri: 27 listings

 Wisconsin: 15 listings

Releasing a 

Pallid sturgeon 

(Scaphirhynchus 

albus) back into 

the wild

So what's the good news?

Endangered means there is still time.

The activities and discussions in this lesson 

focus on the content standards for life science 

(populations and ecosystems; diversity and 

adaptations of organisms). To make these activities 

and discussions relevant and personal, they are 

placed in the context of science in personal and 

social perspectives wherever possible. 
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species... | 119

Lesson 2.4

Discussion (about 30 minutes)

Review the vocabulary from the 

previous lessons in this unit and 

introduce the words endangered and 

extinct. Ask students about animals 

that have become extinct (passenger 

pigeon) or nearly became extinct 

(bald eagle, peregrine falcon, bison, 

wolf, grizzly bear) in North America. 

Explain that biologists estimate that 

more than 500 species, subspecies, 

and varieties of North American 

plants and animals have become 

extinct since the Pilgrims landed at 

Plymouth Rock in 1620.

Review terms and concepts about 

ecosystems and habitats and ask 

students to think about what might 

cause extinction. Discuss why 

species become endangered and 

the impact of human behavior. 

Introduce the major threats to 

species using this acronym HIPPO

as a memory aid:

• Habitat loss

• Introduced species

• Pollution

• Population growth (of humans)

• Over-consumption

Habitat loss 

The most common reason for 

extinction is habitat loss. An animal’s 

habitat features all the necessities of 

life including access to food, water, 

shelter, and space. When people cut 

down forests, dig mines, build cities, 

or make roads, they destroy habitats. 

There is no place left for plants, fi sh, 

and wildlife.

Invasive species 

Invasive species are the second-biggest threat 

to endangered species. An animal introduced 

to a new area competes with native species 

for resources. In some cases, an introduced 

species is more successful, and they outcompete 

or displace native species. Introduced species 

prey on them, eat their food, infect them, or 

otherwise disrupt them. 

Pollution

Pollution affects animals both directly and 

indirectly. For example, acid rain destroys 

forests, oil spills kill coastal plants and animals, 

poisons wash into waterways, and plastic trash 

entangles wildlife. Oil spills kill seabirds, marine, 

and coastal life. Between 1993 and 2002, nearly 

650,000 tons of oil spilled into the sea in 470 

separate accidents. In 2010, one of the largest oil 

spills occurred in the Gulf of Mexico.

Human population

The second “P” represents the number of 

people on our planet. Currently, our planet 

houses over six billion people who compete for 

resources such as food, water, medicine, clothes, 

shelter, and fuel, which affects how much the 

animals have. With more than six billion people 

on the planet, we are crowding the earth and 

driving other species out.

Over-consumption

“O” stands for over-consumption. Many 

industrialized nations consume resources at a 

rate faster than the resources can be reproduced. 

Brainstorm ways students can help prevent 

plants and animals from going extinct. The best 

thing that anyone can do to combat these threats 

is to educate themselves. Learn about the issues 

and decide how you can make a difference.
UNIT 2

120 | 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.4 The most effective way to SAVE 

endangered species is to protect the 

places they need to live. – Lois Capps

Need to Know

• Conservation: The wise use of natural 

resources in order to ensure continued 

availability to future generations.

• Non-renewable resources: Non-living 

resources that do not regenerate themselves. 

• Niche: The role played by an organism in a 

biological community. 

• Adaptation: Biological characteristic that 

improves the chance of survival of an animal 

and its descendants.

• Carrying capacity: The maximum number of 

healthy individuals within a species that a 

habitat can sustain. 

• Extinct: A plant or animal species that is no 

longer living on earth. Although extinction is 

a natural part of evolution, the rate at which 

species are becoming extinct is estimated at 

1,000 times the average extinction rates in 

the evolutionary time scale.

• Endangered: A plant or animal species that is 

in immediate danger of becoming extinct and 

needs protection to survive.

• Threatened: An organism whose population 

is declining in numbers, but has not yet 

become endangered. A plant or animal 

species that is likely to become endangered if 

it is not protected.

• Most of the environmental changes that 

threaten endangered species are caused by 

human actions. Some scientists believe that 

if these changes continue at current rates, 

one-half of all species of life on earth will be 

extinct in 100 years. Threats to endangered 

species include:

- Habitat loss: The depletion of natural 

environments due to human activity or 

natural disasters. 

- Introduced or exotic species: 

An organism that is not native to that area. 

- Pollution: Any substance that destroys the 

purity of land, air, or water. 

- Human population: As of May 2010, 

the population of humans was about 

6.8 billion. The last 100 years have seen 

a rapid increase in human population 

due to medical advances and increases 

in agricultural productivity due to 

technological advances.

- Over-consumption: The excessive use of an 

animal by humans that results in a decline 

in the wild population of that species. 

Asian Carp

Several species of Asian carp were introduced to U.S. fi sh 

farms in the 1970s to help control algae. Some escaped 

into the Mississippi River in the 1970s and soon began 

displacing native fi sh. Efforts are underway to prevent 

the Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes, which are 

connected to the Mississippi River through the Illinois 

Waterway. These efforts include electric barriers and netting.

Faced with dwindling supplies of more popular fi sh, some 

fi shermen are starting to sell Asian carp to fi sh markets. 

Popular in Asian American communities, many expect 

demand for this fi sh to grow, especially if its name is 

changed to something that sounds tastier, such as Rock 

Island sole.
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species... | 121

Lesson 2.4

Class or small 

group activity

Grades

5–6

What you’ll need

• Nature magazine 

for pictures

• Access to the Internet

for pictures

Who is

 Endangered?

This activity asks students to select an endangered animal, identify 

its physical and behavioral characteristics, research major threats 

facing it, and discuss ways of improving its chances for survival.

Do This

1. Introduce the lesson by selecting an endangered animal to 

discuss as a class.

• Identify its physical and behavioral characteristics. 

• Describe its role or purpose and its adaptations. 

• Discuss the factors that may have contributed to causing this 

animal to be designated as “endangered.”

2. Allow the students to work individually or in groups to:

• Research endangered species in your region and select an 

animal to teach the class about.

• Identify its habitat and characteristics.

• Discuss what factors have caused it to become endangered.

3. Ask students to focus on the following questions during their 

research:

• A general description of your animal.

• Is your animal extinct, highly endangered, endangered, or 

threatened? If so, why?

• What type of environment does your animal need 

to survive?

• What impact have humans had on your animal?

• What measures are being taken to help the survival 

of your animal?

• Find pictures of local endangered species.

4. Present fi ndings to the class.

• Put a picture of the species in an appropriate location on the 

laminated wall map (there may be several). 

• Explain why these species are endangered and what 

students might do to help.

Activity 1

Teacher

Tip See A5: 

Endangered 

Species by State 

on page 320. If students have not 

come up with these species on their 

own, assign species to individual 

students or groups.

 • Copperbelly water snake

 • Interior least tern

 • Map turtle

 • Pallid sturgeon

 • Peregrine falcon 

 • Piping plover

 • Red-cockaded

 woodpeckers 

 • Whooping crane
UNIT 2

122 | 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.4 Activity 2

Create a 

 Wildlife Garden

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

What you’ll need

• Shovels

• Hoes

• Rakes

• Plants

• Plant seeds

• Water containers 

or hose

According to the National Wildlife Federation, setting aside just one 

tenth of an acre to create a schoolyard or backyard wildlife habitat 

would make a measurable impact on America’s and the world’s 

ecology. It could provide habitat for migratory birds, native plant 

species, butterfl ies, reptiles, amphibians, and benefi cial insects.

Do This

1. Research the habitat needs of resident and migratory 

species in your area.

2. Identify habitat elements that already exist. 

3. Identify native plants. You do not want to introduce invasive 

non-native plants into our schoolyard ecosystem. Check 

with your state’s agriculture department to learn more 

about native and invasive plants in your area. 

4. Develop a plan that includes the four basic 

elements needed for survival:

• Cover from predators

• Places to reproduce 

and raise young safely

• Water

• Food

5. Create the ideal 

wildlife habitat 

for your area!

Total to plan and plant 

the garden. 30 minutes 

to prep students prior 

to visitor arrival. 1 day 

teacher pre-reading. 

1-2 days for students to 

research how and what 

to plant in the garden.

Research and develop 

habitat for a specifi c 

species in your area.

Teacher 

 Tip
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species... | 123

Lesson 2.4

Example plan

It's the little things that make the big things 

possible. Only close attention to the fine details of 

any operation makes the operation first class.

– J. Willard Marriott, founder of the Marriott Corporation
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 2

124 | 2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.4

 Career launch

Invite a local 

conservationist, 

ecologist, biologist, 

or botanist to speak 

to the class. Ask 

students to research the fi eld 

and prepare questions in advance. 

See A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Express yourself!

Next time you are outside, take 

a journal with you. Write down 

what you see, hear, smell, and 

touch. Illustrate your journal with 

drawings of what you observe. 

Volunteer

Help with a conservation project 

at a local nature center, park, or 

wildlife refuge.

Get out!

Help restore and protect habitat 

in your own backyard and in your 

community:

• Build homes for birds.

• Plant native trees, shrubs, and 

fl owers to attract wildlife, birds, 

and butterfl ies.

• Join a local clean-up effort to 

make these areas better places 

to live.

• Participate in community 

projects to plant riverbanks with 

native plants to protect soil and 

provide habitat.

Investigate

Research some of the invasive 

species threatening the 

Mississippi River, such as the 

Asian carp and zebra mussels, 

and teach others what they can do 

to help prevent their spread.

Adopt an 

endangered species

Adopt an endangered species 

native to your area by 

learning all you can about it 

and sharing that information 

with your family, friends, and 

classmates.

 Create habitat for wildlife

Create habitat for wildlife in 

your schoolyard through the 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s 

Schoolyard Habitat Program. 

Go to www.fws.gov and search 

keywords schoolyard habitat. 

You can also have your 

schoolyard habitat certifi ed by the 

National Wildlife Federation. Learn 

more at www.nwf.org. Search 

keywords: schoolyard habitat

Learn more online

Join the National Wildlife 

Federation’s Schoolyard 

Habitat program on the 

National Wildlife Federation

website (www.nwf.org) and 

have your school’s wildlife 

garden certifi ed.

Play an online game. Build a wild 

version of yourself on the Wildlife 

Conservation Society website 

(www.buildyourwildself.com)

Learn about endangered and 

threatened species from the 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

website’s Endangered Species 

Program (www.fws.gov)

Search keywords: Endangered 

Species Program

Learn about wildlife from the 

Wildlife Conservation Society

website (www.wcs.org), 

and the World Wildlife Fund

website (www.worldwildlife.org)

Identify invasive and non-native 

plants with the help of the U.S. 

Fish & Wildlife Service and help 

remove them from your area.

 Go to www.fws.gov/midwest

Search keyword: invasive plants

Extension Suggestions
UNIT 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: ...Positive Impact... | 125

Lesson 2.5

 Unit 2 goal reminder

Explore the ecosystems

of the Mississippi River and

how humans affect them

 Lesson goal

Learn how we can make 

a positive impact on our 

environment

 Lesson objectives

• Defi ne terms related 

to ecosystems of the 

Mississippi River

• Discuss the effect humans 

have on the environment

• Identify conservation ideas 

for school and home

 Educational standards

• Physical Science

• Life Science

• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

 What you’ll need

• Chad Pregracke activity 

worksheet

• Videotape of the Discovery 

Channel’s River Warriors

• Television with a VCR

or video player 

• Access to the Internet 

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 1 hr.

• Activity 1: 1 hr.

• Activity 2: 1 class period

 What’s next?

Learn about history 

and culture along the 

Mississippi River

Mississippi River 

Sustainability

How to Make a Positive Impact 

on Your Environment 

Introduction 

Lesson 2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: How to Make 

a Positive Impact on Your Environment focuses on actions 

students can take to conserve resources and live sustainably. 

They calculate their eco-footprint and read and discuss the 

inspiring story of how one person made a difference.

Background

Although the earth seems large, the 

amount of land surface where humans 

can comfortably live is relatively small—

just 12 percent. To protect our home 

planet, we must learn how to conserve 

resources and live sustainable lifestyles.

The term “carbon footprint” 

has become a buzzword, but 

it is a complex and inexact 

measurement. Yet it is an apt 

metaphor for our impact on 

the planet. By exploring the 

concept of a carbon or 

eco-footprint, students learn 

that simple lifestyle choices 

have a meaningful impact on 

the planet. 

Estimated average 

for a United States 

resident: 20 tons 

per year

Average for everybody in 

the world (United States 

Included): 4 tons per year

Carbon

footprint

erage for
UNIT 2

126 | 2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: ...Positive Impact... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 2.5

In essence, an eco-footprint is the 

negative impact that something has 

on the environment. Carbon footprint 

usually refers specifi cally to the amount 

of carbon emitted by something during 

a given period. It relates to the amount 

of greenhouse gases produced in 

our day-to-day lives through burning 

fossil fuels for electricity, heating, and 

transportation.

Our eco-footprint refers not only to 

our energy consumption, but to all the 

lifestyle choices we make that impact the 

earth, including what we buy, how we 

live, and what we throw away. 

Discussion (about 1 hour)

Energy consumption

Introduce key terms and concepts by 

asking students if they engage in the 

following activities:

Need to Know

• Ride in a car

• Turn on a light

• Watch television

• Play a video game

• Microwave a meal

• Listen to a stereo

• Use the air 

conditioner

• Use a hair dryer

• Wash or dry clothes

• Use a dishwasher

Explain to students that many of our 

other daily habits and behaviors depend 

on energy, most of which cause pollution. 

• Eco-footprint: The negative 

ecological impact that something 

has on the environment. Also 

called ecological footprint.

• Carbon footprint: The amount 

of carbon emitted by something 

during a given period. It relates 

to the amount of greenhouse 

gases produced when fossil fuels 

are burned. 

• Greenhouse gases: Gases that 

trap heat in the atmosphere, 

much like a greenhouse. 

Greenhouse gases include 

carbon dioxide (CO2), methane 

(CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), 

halogenated fl uorocarbons 

(HCFCs), ozone (O3), and 

hydrofl uorocarbons (HFCs). 

• Global warming: An average 

increase in the Earth’s 

temperature, which causes 

changes in climate.

• Climate change: Often used 

synonymously with the term 

global warming, it refers to the 

long-term changes in the climate 

of a region. A warmer earth 

may lead to changes in rainfall 

patterns, a rise in sea level, and a 

wide range of impacts on plants, 

wildlife, and humans. 

• Sustainable: If something is 

sustainable it can be kept going. 

Sustainable fi shing means 

fi shing in a way that does not 

reduce the number of fi sh and 

endanger them.

• Biodegradable: Something that 

can be broken down naturally 

and then becomes part of the 

soil, water, or air.
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.5

Because the use of energy is a part 

of our everyday lives, nearly every 

daily habit has a carbon cost. Discuss 

how these activities use sources of 

energy that is created by burning carbonbased fossil fuels, which release large 

amounts of greenhouse gases such as 

carbon dioxide. 

The good news is there are many 

ways that students can reduce their 

eco-footprint. Ask students to brainstorm 

ways they can conserve energy at 

school and at home. Possible answers 

might include: 

• Turn off lights when you leave a room

• Walk or bike instead of riding in a car

• Use less heating or air conditioning

• Buy locally grown food

• Buy products with less packaging 

Explain to students that many of their 

answers are examples of conservation. 

Conservation is the quickest, most 

immediate way to save energy or 

other resources. 

Conserving resources

Discuss the three R’s of recycling: 

reduce, reuse, and recycle. Explain that 

recycling is not a new idea. In the 18th 

century, people called “rag-pickers” 

scavenged for bits of cloth to sell for 

use in paper production. They received 

money for their bundles of recycled 

cloth much like we do for recycling cans 

and bottles today. During the 1940s, 

recycling scrap metal and paper were 

part of the war effort. 

At the end of the discussion on 

recycling, add a 4th R—rethink. 

Challenge students to reconsider some 

of their energy consumption 

and buying habits.

Reducing waste

Ask students what happens when 

something can no longer be reused 

or recycled. What happens to all that 

garbage? It becomes part of the 

waste stream. 

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: ...Positive Impact... | 127

The activities and discussions in this lesson 

apply the life science and physical science 

knowledge learned in the other lessons in this 

unit to explore ecosystem sustainability from 

personal and social perspectives. 

The activities and discussions in this lesson activities and discussions in this lesson
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.5 Activity 1

Read and 

Comprehend

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

What you’ll need

• Videotape of the 

Discovery Channel’s 

River Warriors

• Television with a VCR 

or video player 

• Access to the Internet 

• Activity worksheets 

(pages 129-132)

Do This

1. Ask students to read Chad Pregracke’s biography and 

write the answers to the questions on the student activity 

worksheet to test their reading comprehension. 

2. Show the class the Discovery Channel Documentary, River 

Warriors, about Chad and his non-profi t organization Living 

Lands and Waters. 

3. Ask students to research Chad online and write an essay 

about his vision and accomplishments.

Plus essay homework 

128 | 2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: ...Positive Impact... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

1. 15 miles from the Mississippi River 

outside of Hampton, Illinois.

2. Answers may vary. Primary 

reason: No one else would.

3. Commercial fi sherman, shell diver, 

and barge hand

4. Living Lands & Waters

5. Over 6 million pounds

Answer Key
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 129

Read and Comprehend

Chad Pregracke: Mississippi River Hero

Today Chad Pregracke is a River Warrior. 

He is known all around the country for 

organizing massive river cleanups, fi lling 

large barges with garbage pulled from 

the Mississippi River. His hard work, 

charismatic leadership, and vision of a 

clean river have earned him many awards 

and honors over the years, including the 

prestigious National Jefferson Award 

for Public Service. His efforts have been 

written about in Time, People, and 

National Geographic magazines and 

shown on television on CNN and the 

Discovery Channel. 

However, not that long ago he was a 

student just like you. Chad grew up just 15 

miles from the Mississippi River outside of 

Hampton, Illinois. He and his older brother 

spent much of their time on, in, and 

around the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. 

During summer breaks from high school 

and college, Chad worked on the river as 

a commercial fi sherman, shell diver, and 

barge hand.

While working and playing on the 

river, Chad couldn’t help but notice all the 

trash along the river. Believing someone 

in charge should take care of it, he started 

calling government agencies to notify 

them of the problem. He even sent photos 

of the large piles of garbage as proof. No 

one responded. Year after year passed by 

and the problem only worsened. 

In 1997 Chad decided that, if no one else 

was going to clean up the river, then he 

would, one piece of garbage at a time. 

Working alone, Chad began pulling trash 

from the Mississippi River. That fi rst year, 

he removed 45,000 pounds of garbage by 

himself. People began taking notice.

In 1998 at the age of 23, Chad founded Living 

Lands & Waters, a nonprofi t organization 

based in East Moline, Illinois, dedicated to 

cleaning up and preserving our nation’s 

rivers. With support from individuals and 

corporations, Chad raised enough money to 

hire a small cleanup crew and fl eet of boats.

Today, the organization has grown to 

include 10 full-time employees and a fl eet 

of 4 barges, a towboat, 6 workboats, 2 skid 

steers, 5 work trucks, and a large box truck. 

With this equipment, the crew is able to 

travel and work in an average of 9 states 

a year along the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, 

Missouri, and Potomac Rivers, as well as 

many of their tributaries.

Since the project’s inception, Chad, his 

crew, and over 60,000 volunteers have 

collected over 6 million pounds of 

debris from our nation’s greatest rivers. 

Most recently, Chad expanded the 

mission of the organization to include 

Big River Educational Outreach, The 

MillionTrees Project, and the Adopt-aRiver Mile programs.

Name _______________________________________________ Date _________________
130 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Answer the following questions about Chad Pregracke.

1. Where did Chad grow up? 

2. Why did Chad decide to clean up the Mississippi River? 

3. What jobs did Chad do on the river during summer breaks? 

4. What is the name of the non-profi t organization Chad started? 

5. How many pounds of garbage have Chad and his organization pulled 

from U.S. rivers? 
UNIT 2

Lesson 2.5

In this lesson, students learn what their eco-footprint is over the 

course of a normal day. 

Do This

1. Distribute the Eco-Footprint Pledge activity worksheet and guide 

students in completing the activity. 

2. After students have completed their list of daily habits, divide 

them into small groups. 

3. Working in groups, have students identify similarities in their 

habits and behaviors and then work together to come up with 

options for reducing their eco-footprints. 

4. Ask students to refl ect on some of the ways they can reduce 

their eco-footprint and choose three to commit to in everyday 

life. Have them write it as a pledge using “I” statements.

Possible answers: 

Daily habits: Ride in a car, turn on a light, 

microwave a meal, watch television, play 

a video game, listen to music, use the 

heat or air conditioner, use a hair dryer, 

wash or dry clothes, or use a dishwasher

Reducing our eco-footprint:

- Turn off lights when you leave a room

- Walk or bike instead of riding in a car

- Use less heating or air conditioning

- Buy locally grown food

- Buy products with less packaging 

Class or small 

group activity

Grades

5–6

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet 

(page 132)

Your

 Eco-Footprint

Activity 2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: ...Positive Impact... | 131

Outdoor Ethics 

• Plan ahead and prepare

• Dispose of waste properly 

• Leave what you fi nd

• Respect wildlife

• Be considerate of other visitors

These excerpts from the Leave No Trace Seven 

Principles have been reprinted with permission 

from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor 

Ethics. For more information, visit www.LNT.org.
132 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Eco-Footprint Pledge

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Almost every daily habit or behavior 

contributes in some way to your ecofootprint. The good news is that there 

are lots of things we can do to reduce 

our impact on the planet.

First, think about the parts of your 

daily routine that add to your ecofootprint and list them below. 

Remember, your eco-footprint is 

increased every time you use energy 

that comes from fossil fuels. 

Next, compare your lists and discuss which daily habits or behaviors are most 

common among your classmates. Once you’ve identifi ed these, list the “Top 5 things 

we can do to reduce our Eco-Footprint.”

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Finally, take a pledge to help the earth. Choose three items from the list and make it 

part of your everyday life. Write these down using “I statements.” For example: I can 

__________________________less/more.

1. 

2. 

3. 
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 2

Lesson 2.5

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: ...Positive Impact... | 133

 Career launch

Invite a local 

climatologist or 

ecologist to speak 

to the class. Ask 

students to research 

the fi eld and prepare questions in 

advance. See A1: Career Launch on 

page 312 for career information and 

professional associations.

Get out!

Volunteer for a river or park 

cleanup with a local conservation 

group or start your own.

Leave it cleaner than you found it! 

Go for a hike, a bike ride, or paddle 

around your local lake. Take a small 

trash bag and pick up litter along 

your route.

Express yourself!

Keep an eco-footprint journal. Use 

it to track how different actions 

and choices can help you change 

your footprint.

Trace the lifecycle of a piece of 

trash! Select a piece of trash 

and fi nd out about its life: where 

and how did it start? What raw 

materials were used to create it? 

Where has it been? How it was 

used? Where it will end up?

Learn more online

Calculate your family’s carbon 

footprint online at the Nature 

Conservancy website

(www.nature.org)

Search keywords: carbon 

footprint calculator

Or use the EPA website

(www.epa.gov)

Search keywords: household 

emissions calculator

Explore climate change on the 

EPA website (www.epa.gov)

Search keywords: kids page 

climate change

Examine trash and climate change 

on the EPA website (www.epa.gov)

Search keywords: trash and 

climate change

Learn about Community River 

Cleanups, Big River Educational 

Workshops, Million Trees Project, 

Riverbottom Forest Restoration, 

and Adopt-a-River Mile programs 

at Living Lands and Waters at 

www.livinglandsandwaters.org

Learn more about the Center for 

Outdoor Ethics: Leave No Trace

at www.lnt.org

On average, each person needs 2.2 

global hectares, which is a measurement 

used to describe the biocapacity (amount 

of life) an area can support. The actual 

area of land a global hectare covers 

varies depending on the land type. For 

example, one global hectare of cropland 

takes less room than one global hectare 

of pastureland because more pasture is 

needed to provide the same biocapacity. 

In other words, pastureland is much less 

biologically productive than cropland.

Extension Suggestions

Ecological Footprint per person by country (2003) 

United States

Australia

United Kingdom

Germany

Russia

Japan

South Africa

Malaysia

Brazil

China

Thailand

Egypt

Sierra Leone

Afghanistan

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

World average biocapacity per person

Global hectares per person
134 | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Unit 3

Mississippi River

History and Culture

Unit 3: Mississippi River History and Culture relies on the skills 

and knowledge students learned about life science in Unit 2 as the 

context for examining human history, migration, and settlement. 

The wall map is again used as a conceptual thread in this unit. Unit 3 

emphasizes social sciences, language arts, and fi ne arts. Students are 

prompted to think about culture in the context of their own family 

traditions as a starting point for discussing human history on the 

Mississippi River.
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | 135

3.0 Introduction to Mississippi River

History and Culture: Pre- and Post-Assessment

Introduce students to the key concepts and prepare them to explore 

history and culture along the Upper Mississippi River by asking students 

to investigate their own cultural identity and family origins.

3.1 Mississippi River's Ancient Civilizations

Learn about the original inhabitants of the Mississippi River and 

imagine what life was like for ancient Americans by watching a video 

and writing poetry.

3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration

Discover what happened when the old and new worlds converged on 

the Mississippi River by plotting the courses of early European explorers 

and researching the Native American tribes they encountered.

3.3 Louisiana Purchase: Gateway to the Western Frontier

Explore the role of the Mississippi River as a primary motivation for 

the Louisiana Purchase and plan a trip of your own on the Upper 

Mississippi River.

3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement,

Transportation, and Trade

Learn about the European-American migration of settlers as they 

moved from East to West in search of new land and opportunity by 

analyzing 19th-century primary sources and evaluating the geographic 

characteristics that infl uenced migration and settlement.

3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom

Learn about the Underground Railroad and plan your escape to freedom. 
UNIT 3

136 | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction to

Mississippi River

History and Culture

Unit 3 goal

Learn how communities 

and cultures develop to 

form civilizations

Lesson goal

Understand our own traditions

and culture

Lesson objectives

• Discover your family culture

• Identify your family traditions 

• Investigate how technology 

infl uences or changes 

traditions

Educational standards

• Social Science

• Language Arts

What you’ll need

• Way to display family tree, 

timeline, or other visual aids

How long it will take

• Activity 1: 15 min.

• Discussion: 60 min.

• Activity 2: 45-90 min.

What’s next!

Learn about the fi rst civilizations 

along the Mississippi River.

Introduction

Unit 3 introduces the key concepts, facts, and 

vocabulary that students need in order to discover 

history and culture along the Upper Mississippi River. 

Students learn about abstract ideas such as culture, 

language, and social organization by exploring their 

own cultural identity and family origins.

This introduction focuses on social studies and language 

arts standards, with an emphasis on how people create, 

learn, share, and adapt to culture. Students explore their 

own family or community culture to understand and 

identify cultural patterns, which prepares them for an 

in-depth examination of cultural continuity and change 

over time in the following lessons.

This introduction focuses on social studies and language This introduction focuses on social studies and

Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio
UNIT 3

Introduction 3.0

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | 137

Activity 1

Pre- and Post- 

 Assessment

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet 

(page 138–139)

Do This

1. Copy and distribute the Pre- and Post-Assessment activity 

worksheet on the following page.

2. Allow 15 minutes for students to complete the assessment. 

3. Save the pre-assessments to compare with a post-assessment 

given after students complete all the lessons in this unit using 

this same activity worksheet. 

4. Calculate each student’s percent increase in knowledge. 

Multiple Choice Questions

1. c

2. a

3. d

4. b

5. d

Defi nitions and Vocabulary

1. a

2. b

3. c

4. c

5. b

To write history without putting any water in it 

is to leave out a large part of the story. Human 

experience has not been so dry as that.

– Donald Worster, Rivers of Empire, 1985

Answer Key

Matching

1. g

2. f

3. a

4. h

5. b

6. i

7. e

8. c

9. d
138 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Matching

Draw a line from the word on the left to the correct defi nition on the right.

1. Tradition

2. Historic

3. Written language

4. Archeology

5. Anthropology

6. CE

7. BCE

8. Culture

9. Social organization

a. A symbolic form of communication.

b. Study of the origins, physical and cultural

 development, and social customs and beliefs

 of people.

c. A set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and 

 practices that characterizes a group of people.

d. Set of systems and institutions developed 

 to meet basic needs, such as family, 

 governments, languages, universities, 

 hospitals, business corporations, and 

 legal systems.

e. Before the Common Era.

f. Term used to describe the period of time 

 known about through records, such as written 

 documents or oral traditions.

g. Practice of handing down information, 

 beliefs, or customs from one generation

 to another. 

h. Study of past human culture by the recovery 

 and examination of remaining material 

 evidence, such as burial sites, buildings, 

 tools, and pottery.

i. Common Era.

Unit 3 Assessment
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 139

Multiple Choice

Circle the correct answer

1. Who was the fi rst European to 

reach the Mississippi River?

a. Christopher Columbus

b. Juan Ponce de León

c. Hernando de Soto

d. Jacques Marquette

2. The Native American city of 

Cahokia was settled around:

a. 750 CE

b. 300 BCE

c. 100 CE

d. 600 CE

3. From which country did U.S. 

President Thomas Jefferson purchase 

the Louisiana Territory in 1803?

a. Spain

b. Mexico

c. England

d. France

4. The Corps of Discovery, commonly 

called the Lewis and Clark 

Expedition, departed from which 

place along the Mississippi River?

a. St. Louis, Missouri

b. Wood River, Illinois

c. St. Paul, Minnesota

d. Keokuk, Iowa

5. The Underground Railroad was:

a. The fi rst subway in Chicago.

b. Secret organization of 

railway workers.

c. Movement to end slavery 

in Europe.

d. Secret routes and safe houses 

used by slaves to escape North.

Defi nitions and Vocabulary

Choose the BEST defi nition for the word 

1. Migration

a. The relocation of an individual or 

group to a new place, usually in 

search of resources or opportunity.

b. The movement of trade items from 

one place to another. 

c. Term used to describe recent history.

2. Multicultural

a. Someone who speaks many 

languages. 

b. Many cultures coexisting in a similar 

time and place.

c. Large groups of people.

3. Mound builders

a. People who lived in homes made 

of sod.

b. People who built stone granaries 

to store corn.

c. People who built mound-shaped 

earthen monuments for their dead.

4. Timeline

a. Amount of time given to complete 

a task.

b. Line dividing one historic era 

from another. 

c. Visual representation of the events 

of a certain era.

5. Chronology

a. Device used to tell time.

b. Organization of events in order of 

their occurrence.

c. Tool used to determine the date of 

an object.
UNIT 3

Introduction 3.0

Moments in History

Archeologists divide history into 

developmental periods that describe 

times of continuity and change in 

cultural traditions. These periods varied 

from place to place, so all periods 

shown here are approximate. 

Timelines help us to understand events 

and trends and how they change over 

time. Comparing the cultural history of 

the Mississippi watershed with world 

history helps place the cultural changes 

in the Mississippi watershed in a 

larger context.

Our World Timeline

Our Mississippi Timeline

140 | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

10,000–8000 BCE: Paleo-Indian Period

• Paleo-Indian big game hunters fi rst move into the 

Upper Mississippi River area

• Clovis culture, named after fl uted spear points 

found near Clovis, New Mexico, emerges. Similar 

points are found throughout the Mississippi River 

watershed. 

10,000 – 3000 BCE: Neolithic (New Stone Age)

3000 – 1200 BCE: Bronze Age

8000–3000 BCE: Early Archaic Period

• Archaic hunter and gatherer culture 

begins, along with the use of the 

atlatl, a tool for throwing spears

• Oldest known large-scale mounds 

built in northern Louisiana

3000 BCE: First known 

use of papyrus by 

Egyptians

2600 BCE: Maya culture 

in the Yucatán Peninsula

1800 BCE: Alphabetic 

writing emerges in the 

Middle East

3400 BCE:

Emergence of 

cuneiform script 

in the Sumerian 

civilization in 

present-day Iraq, 

the earliest known 

writing system in 

the world 

1600 BCE:

Ancient Greek 

civilization 

emerges

3200 BCE: Emergence 

of the Norte Chico 

civilization in Peru, the 

oldest known civilization 

in the Americas

1600 BCE:

Shang dynasty in 

China emerges

3000–1500 BCE: 

Middle Archaic Period

• Old Copper Culture emerges 

in the Upper Mississippi 

Valley. The presence of items 

made from copper, found 

in the Great Lakes area, is 

the fi rst evidence of longdistance trade

1500 – 600 BCE: 

Late Archaic Period

• First clear use of Upper Mississippi 

River fl oodplain, suggesting an 

increasing reliance on its resources

• Simple horticulture 

(gardening) begins in the 

Upper Mississippi Valley

• Oldest known burial 

mound construction in 

the Upper Mississippi Valley

6000 BCE: Agriculture and pottery 

begin in the Middle East and spread 

to Europe and Africa

4250 BCE: Beginning of 

the Egyptian calendar 

and the earliest known 

recorded date

3500 BCE: Earliest 

known evidence of the 

use of the wheel in the 

Sumerian civilization in 

present-day Iraq 

10,000 BCE 4000 BCE 3000 BCE 2000 BCE

10,000 BCE 4000 BCE 3000 BCE 2000 BCE
UNIT 3

Introduction 3.0

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | 141

Common Era

Common Era, abbreviated as CE or 

BCE (Before the Common Era), is one 

of the designations for the world’s 

most commonly used year-numbering 

system. Identical to the numbering used 

with Anno Domini (BC/AD) notation, it 

has been in use since the 1700s. 

1200 – 800 BCE: Iron Age

500 BCE – 1500 CE: Middle Ages

800 – 500 BCE: Classical Antiquity

1500 – 2000 CE: Global Age

776 BCE:

First 

recorded 

Olympic 

Games in 

Greece 

515 CE: Saxons 

invade Britain

300 BCE: The Hohokam 

culture near presentday Phoenix, Arizona

885 CE: Vikings 

attack Paris

44 BCE: Rise of the 

Roman Empire

1337 CE: Hundred 

Years’ War between 

England and France 

begins

1 BCE: Anasazi 

pueblo culture 

emerges

1400 CE: Renaissance 

culture begins 

1492 CE: Christopher 

Columbus sails to the 

Americas

1760 CE:

Industrial 

Revolution 

begins 

476 CE: Fall 

of the Roman 

Empire

600 BCE – 50 BCE: 

Early Woodland Period

• Pottery emerges and 

mound building increases

• Agriculture 

(farming) begins

• Adena culture, 

characterized by complex 

burial and ceremonial 

practices, emerges in 

Ohio and Illinois

50 BCE– 600 CE: 

Middle Woodland Period

• Hopewell culture, characterized 

by distinct pottery, extensive 

trade, and elaborate burial 

practices, emerges

600 – 800 CE:

Late Woodland Period

• Bow and arrow use begins

• Widespread cultivation of corn 

leads to larger populations

• Effi gy mound culture, 

characterized by mounds 

built in the shape of 

animals, emerges

• Cahokia settlement 

established 

800 – 1000 CE: 

Early Mississippian Period

• Farmer and village dweller 

culture begins

• New pottery techniques 

develop

1000 – 1450 CE: 

Middle Mississippian Period

• Oneota culture, 

characterized by its 

pottery, emerges in 

Iowa and Wisconsin.

• Cahokia becomes the 

largest and most 

important Mississippian 

site

1450 – 1550 CE: 

Late Mississippian Period

• Mound-building 

culture ends

• Oneota culture 

continues

1600 – 1715 CE: 

Europeans Arrive

• 1600 CE: French arrive

• 1715 CE: British arrive

1000 BCE 0 1000 CE 2000 CE

1000 BCE 0 1000 CE 2000 CE

Cuneiform tablet 

believed to be from 

southern Iraq, circa 

3100-3000 BCE. 
UNIT 3

Introduction 3.0

Need to Know

• Anthropology: Study of the 

origins, physical and cultural 

development, and social customs 

and beliefs of people.

• Archeology: Study of past human 

culture by the recovery and 

examination of remaining material 

evidence, such as burial sites, 

buildings, tools, and pottery.

• Chronology: Organization of events 

in order of their occurrence.

• Timeline: Visual representation of 

the events of a certain era, used as a 

tool for studying history and culture.

• Prehistoric: Term used to 

describe the period before 

recorded history.

• Historic: Term used to describe 

the period of time known about 

through records, such as written 

or oral traditions. 

• Culture: Shared set of attitudes, 

values, goals, and practices 

that characterizes an institution, 

organization or group. Culture is 

a term used to describe a people’s 

whole way of life, including arts, 

beliefs, customs, inventions, 

language, technology, and 

traditions. 

– Cultural patterns emerge in 

response to basic needs, such 

as food, clothing, and shelter, as 

well as technology, language, 

arts (including music), education, 

religion, and recreation.

– The term multicultural describes 

a group or a place with several 

coexisting cultures. 

Background

Who are we? Where do we come from? What 

makes us unique and yet similar? These 

are questions we explore through history, 

anthropology, and archeology.

The ability to create and transmit culture is 

what differentiates us from the rest of the 

animal world, but it’s not that easy to fi nd 

one defi nition that all anthropologists and 

archeologists agree on. In its broadest sense, 

culture can be defi ned as the thoughts, 

behaviors, languages, customs, and material 

items produced—along with the methods used 

to produce them—of a group of people.

Cultural formation and transmission

Cultures form when groups of people interact 

with their environment. Over time, they 

adapt their tools and methods to meet their 

basic needs to fi t that environment. They also 

organize their society in ways that help each 

other meet basic needs, including families, 

governments, schools, occupations, medicine, 

legal systems, and come to share beliefs and 

symbols to understand and explain their world. 

Culture is passed down from one generation to 

the next. It is dependent on the human ability 

to communicate. Language is a symbolic 

form of communication. The word table, for 

example, is nothing other than a symbol for 

the actual thing, a table. 

Outside infl uences such as trade can cause 

cultures to change. Where cultures intersect and 

interact with each other, they share ideas and 

technologies. For example, it is uncertain exactly 

when or where the wheel was fi rst invented, but 

its use spread rapidly. Hence, other cultures did 

not have to reinvent the wheel.

142 | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Mayan calendar

The ancient Mayans invented a 

calendar of remarkable accuracy 

and complexity about 500 BCE.
UNIT 3

Introduction 3.0

• Belief: Feeling sure that something 

or someone exists or is true.

• Value: The idea that something, 

such as an object, goal, or belief, 

has worth.

• Tradition: The practice of handing 

down information, beliefs, or 

customs from one generation to 

another.

• Civilization: Similar to culture 

but commonly used to refer to 

a more complex or advanced 

form of organized life, including 

complex social, political, military, 

and religious values, goals, and 

practices. 

• Language: A form of 

communication. Without language, 

people could not learn from one 

another across generations and 

culture could not be transmitted. 

– Written language is a symbolic 

form of communication.

• Social organization: Complex 

systems and institutions developed 

to meet basic needs, such as 

family, governments, languages, 

universities, hospitals, business 

corporations, and legal systems.

See the timelines on pages 140 – 

141 for more terms and concepts.

Civilization

Over time, a culture may develop into a 

civilization, which is considered an advanced 

form of organized culture with more complex 

forms of social, political, military, and religious 

life. However, some people disagree about 

when a culture can be considered to have 

become a civilization. Also, civilization is a 

loaded term, one used to judge or contrast 

so-called civilized societies with so-called 

primitive ones. Although the term civilization 

is useful for describing a society’s degree 

of complexity, it cannot be used to judge a 

society’s beliefs, values, or quality of life.

Many of the world’s greatest civilizations rose 

up on large rivers. The Shang Dynasty evolved 

along the Yellow River, the second-longest 

river in China after the Yangtze. It is considered 

the oldest continuous civilization in the world. 

The ancient Egyptian civilization that sprang 

up along the Nile River is older, but it was not 

continuous with modern Egyptian society. 

Cahokia, a large city that fl ourished along the 

Mississippi across from St. Louis, Missouri, 

emerged during the Late Woodland culture. 

It is considered a civilization. Read more 

about Cahokia in the following lesson, 3.1: 

Mississippi River’s Ancient Civilizations.

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | 143

Abacus

An instrument for 

making calculations by 

sliding counters along 

rods or in grooves, the 

abacus goes back to at 

least 2400 BCE. Many 

civilizations developed 

their own versions of 

the abacus. 
UNIT 3

Introduction 3.0

Discussion (60 minutes)

Introduce the key concepts in the 

Need to Know section using individual 

family or local community customs and 

traditions as context, but be sensitive to 

the fact that not all students are living 

with blood relatives or intact homes. 

Explain that customs are our usual way 

of doing things that are handed down 

from one generation to another. 

Use the questions in the student activity 

worksheet titled “My Culture” to guide 

a discussion to get students thinking 

about their own family culture. Begin by 

sharing information about the culture of 

your own community, family, or ethnic 

group to help students brainstorm and 

feel comfortable doing the same. Then 

discuss those practices and beliefs in 

relation to how cultural patterns emerge 

in response to basic needs, such as 

food, clothing, and shelter, as well as 

technology, language, arts (including 

music), education, religion, and 

recreation. 

As American as....

Apple pie

Baseball

Red, white and blue

Rock ‘n’ roll

Chevrolet 

Coca-Cola

Hollywood

Hot dogs

McDonald’s

Cowboys

Football

144 | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Jazz

Route 66

Mickey Mouse

NASCAR

Statue of Liberty

Uncle Sam

Disneyland

Nike

Elvis Presley 

Michael Jackson

Starbucks
UNIT 3

Activity 2 Introduction 3.0

My Culture

What you’ll need

• Essay assignment 

activity worksheet 

(page 146–147)

• Way to display family 

tree, timeline, or 

other visual aids

• 10–30 minutes for 

students to prepare 

timelines and family 

trees as visual aids. 

• 30–60 minutes for 

students to read 

essays to the class

Students write a short essay about the culture of their community, 

family, or ethnic group, including its history, traditions, language, 

beliefs, and values and present it to the class. Essays should be 

accompanied by a timeline and diagram of their family tree. 

Do This

1. Students present their essays and visual aids to the class.

2. Ask students to share their essays and visual aids with the class 

or post their materials online or on a bulletin board. 

Similarities help students feel a sense of 

belonging. Help them understand that uniqueness 

makes them special and individual.

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.0 Introduction: Mississippi River History and Culture | 145

Grades

5–6

Individual or 

group activity

Teacher 

 Tip
146 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Your Culture

As part of your research, answer the following questions:

1. What part of the world do your ancestors (grandparents, great grandparents) 

come from? 

2. What traditions are important to you? Do you do anything special for 

holidays such as Thanksgiving or New Year’s? What other kinds of celebrations 

do you have? 

3. What has your family or community taught you? What do you value most? 

4. How do you communicate? Include languages spoken and technologies used to 

communicate with each other. 

 

Write an essay about your community, 

family, or ethnic group’s culture, which 

you will present to the class. Include a 

timeline and family tree as visual aids 

for your presentation.

Your essay should include your culture’s 

customs, traditions, beliefs, and values. 

You may need to interview your parents, 

grandparents, or neighbors to complete 

this assignment. 

Name Date 
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 147

5. What do your parents do for a living? Your grandparents? 

6. What technologies did your family or neighbors use when they were 

10-12 years old? 

7. Write an essay describing your culture using examples from your answers to the 

above questions.
Extension Suggestions

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

148 | 3.1 Mississippi River's Mighty Civilizations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 3

Learn more online

Learn about culture from the New 

York State Education Department 

(www.nysed.gov)

Search keywords: what is culture

Learn about the process of 

archeology from the Mississippi 

Valley Archaeology Center at the

University of Wisconsin—

La Crosse (www.uwlax.edu/mvac)

Search keywords: archeology 

process

Learn about archeology for kids 

from the National Park Service 

(www.nps.gov)

Search keywords: archeology 

for kids

Introduction 3.0

 Career launch

Invite a local 

anthropologist to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Go “old school”

Have students make slate tablets 

and imagine what it was like to 

do their homework on these mini 

chalkboards instead of paper in 

a frontier school. Simple tablets 

can be made using cardboard and 

spray-on chalk paint (best done 

outdoors). 

Get out!

Visit a local historical site 

and participate in a living 

history event.

Express yourself!

• Write a letter to your 

grandparents and ask about 

their family traditions when 

they were growing up.

• Write a letter to your future 

grandchildren explaining what 

your life is like now.

Rivers run through our history and folklore, and link us as a people. 

They nourish and refresh us and provide a home for dazzling 

varieties of fish and wildlife and trees and plants of every sort. 

We are a nation rich in rivers. – Charles Kuralt, from The Magic of Rivers
UNIT 3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.1 Mississippi River's Ancient Civilizations | 149

Lesson 3.1

Mississippi River's

Ancient 

Civilizations

Introduction

Lesson 3.1 introduces students to the original inhabitants of 

the Mississippi River and invites them to imagine what life 

was like for ancient Americans by writing poems. They learn 

about mound-building Mississippian Cultures by watching 

a video about the ancient city of Cahokia and explore oral 

tradition and archeology. 

 Unit 3 goal

Learn how communities 

and cultures develop 

to form civilizations

 Lesson goal

Learn about ancient 

Americans living along

the Mississippi

 Lesson objectives

• Explore early American 

civilizations

• Discover their customs 

and cultures

• Compare their cultures 

to yours

 Educational standards

• Social Science

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Cahokia: City of the Sun 

online video 

• Access to the Internet

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 30 min.

• Video: 15 min.

• Activity 1: 45-60 min.

 What’s next!

Early European exploration 

and trade

Students use language arts, history, 

and geography to understand the 

signifi cance of early Native 

American cultures in the 

Mississippi River watershed. 

gy

Students Students use language arts histo use language arts, history,
UNIT 3

150 | 3.1 Mississippi River's Ancient Civilizations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 3.1

Background

The Mississippi River is possibly the 

most historic waterway on the North 

American continent. Its rich history 

started with Paleo-Indians.

Paleo-Indian Period: 10,000–8000 BCE

Archeologists believe early humans 

fi rst came to North America 15,000 to 

20,000 years ago across the Bering land 

bridge that once connected Asia and 

North America during the Ice Age. They 

were big-game hunters who followed 

now-extinct woolly mammoths and 

mastodons. Artifacts such as projectile 

points and stone and bone tools suggest 

that these people came to the Upper 

Mississippi area about 12,000 years ago.

Archaic Period: 8000–600 BCE

When the Ice Age ended, a wider variety 

of plant and animal resources became 

available, and cultural traditions began 

to change. Projectile points evolved and 

the atlatl, a tool for throwing spears, 

came into use. 

Background

As Archaic hunters and gatherers began 

utilizing local resources more, including 

deer, bison, clams, fi sh, and plant 

materials, they became less nomadic. 

Toward the end of the Archaic period, 

some hunter-gatherers began practicing 

agriculture, making pottery, and 

building burial mounds. 

Woodland Period: 600 BCE–800 CE 

The Woodland period was a time 

of rapid change brought about by 

population growth and increased 

contact between groups through trade. 

The Woodland period is characterized 

by the development of agriculture 

and pottery, the building of burial 

and ceremonial mounds, and the 

introduction of the bow and arrow. 

As people gathered food in larger 

quantities, their communities grew 

larger and more complex. Different 

traditions evolved based on shared 

Monks Mound, located at the Cahokia Mounds 

UNESCO World Heritage Site near Collinsville, 

Illinois, is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in 

America north of Mesoamerica.
WI

IA

IL

MO

MN

ND

SD

NE

MT

CO

KS

OK

TX

AR

LA

MS AL

TN

KY

IN

OH

WV

VA

NC

GA

PA

WY

UNIT 3

practices, including burial, ceremonial, 

and artistic traditions. These include 

the Adena culture in Ohio and Illinois 

during the Early Woodland Period (600–

50 BCE) and the Hopewell culture along 

the Ohio and Upper Mississippi Rivers 

during the Middle Woodland Period (50 

BCE–600 CE). 

Mississippian Period: 800–1550 CE

Between 800 and 1000 CE the Native 

American population exploded, which 

resulted in large towns and cities 

springing up along the Mississippi and 

its tributaries. This marked the 

beginning of the Mississippian period.

Cahokia 

One of the largest ancient Mississippian 

cities was Cahokia. A bustling center 

of commerce and culture, it was larger 

than most European cities of its time, 

including London or Paris. This well 

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.1 Mississippi River's Ancient Civilizations | 151

Lesson 3.1

planned city included 120 ceremonial 

and burial mounds, several plazas, and 

wooden palisade walls nearly two miles 

long. At its peak between approximately 

1050–1150 CE, up to 20,000 people may 

have lived here. 

Corn was the mainstay of their diet, 

which they grew in the rich bottomlands 

along the Mississippi River. This highyielding crop could be stored for long 

periods. They also grew beans, squash, 

and other seed-bearing crops.

By the time the European explorers 

arrived, the Cahokia region was 

deserted. Archeologists continue to 

study Cahokia and other mound sites in 

hopes of fi nding evidence that will help 

explain what happened.

Please review the timeline on pages 140–141 

for more information.

Sources: It Happened on the Mississippi River by James A Crutchfi eld; 

Historic Resources Study of the Mississippi National River and 

Recreation Area by the National Park Service.

Woodland and Mississippian 

cultures and settlements 

flourished along the Upper 

Mississippi River and its 

tributaries. See page 158 for 

a list of sites you can visit.

Legend

Adena

Hopewell

Mississippian
6 7

152 | 3.1 Mississippi River's Mighty Civilizations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.1

Oral Tradition

Most of what we know about Native 

American culture before the arrival 

of Europeans comes from oral history 

and archeology. 

Anishinabe-Ojibwe Migration Story

Oral tradition tells the story of the long 

migration of the Anishinabe-Ojibwe from 

the Atlantic Ocean to Spirit Island near 

Duluth, Minnesota. This epic journey lasted 

many generations and required a great 

deal of courage, determination, and faith. 

It probably began around 900 CE and took 

about 500 years. 

In the Ojibwe language, “Anishinable” 

means “one of the people.” It is what they 

call themselves. The Ojibwe are part of a 

large language group of Native Americans 

known as the Algonquin family. They are 

one of the largest and most widespread 

tribes in North America.

“Seven prophets came to the Anishinabe. 

They came at a time when the people 

were living a full and peaceful life on the 

North Eastern coast of North America. 

These prophets left the people with 

seven predictions of what the future 

would bring. Each of the prophecies was 

called a fi re and each fi re referred to a 

particular era of time that would come 

in the future. Thus, the teachings of the 

seven prophets are now called the Seven 

Fires.” –William Commanda, Elder of the 

Algonquin Nation

Migration of the Anishinabe

When the seven prophets came to the 

Anishinabe, the nation was living on the 

shores of the Eastern Great Salt Water. The 

people were so many that you could not see 

the end of the Nation, even if you climbed 

to the top of the highest mountain and look 

in all directions. They had plentiful food 

from the land, the sea, and the rivers. It was 

a time and a place of great plenty.

1 The prophet of the First Fire informed 

the people “If you do not move, you will 

be destroyed.“

He also told the people that the fi rst 

of seven stopping places during the 

long migration would be a turtleshaped mi-ni-si’ (island). It was found in 

the St. Lawrence River near modernday Montreal.

2 The second major stopping place was 

near the place of water and thunder the 

Ojibwe later called Kichi-ka-be-kong. It is 

now known as Niagara Falls. The Sacred 

Fire was moved here, and the people 

stayed here for a while.

3 The third major stopping place 

was near the Detroit River, which 

connects Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron 

to Lake Erie. Here they drove back an 

attack by the Iroquois and later smoked 

the pipe of peace with them. They rested 

and wandered, waiting for the next sign.

The prophesy of the Third Fire said a boy 

would be born that would show them 

the right path to where the Anishinabe 

would fi nd “the food that grows on 
2

5 1

3

4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.1 Mississippi River's Mighty Civilizations | 153

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.1

water.” Later a boy had a dream about 

stones leading across the water. The 

dream led the people to the islands 

that led across the great northern fresh 

water sea. 

4 The Sacred Megis appeared on 

Manitoulin Island, the largest in a chain 

of islands in Lake Huron. This was the 

fourth major stopping place of the 

Anishinabe. 

5 The fi fth stopping place was Bawwa-ting’, near Sault Ste. Marie. This 

was a place of plentiful food and, later, 

trade with the light-skinned people. 

The migration split into two groups 

here, one following the northern shore 

of Lake Superior and the other the 

southern shore.

The northern group of Anishinabe 

went to the western end of what is 

now called Lake Superior and found 

Spirit Island. The Sacred Shell rose 

up to the people here. Parts of the 

southern group came here, too. 

6 The prophesy was fulfi lled at Spirit 

Island (near Duluth, Minnesota) where 

the Anishinabe found “the food that 

grows on water,” or ma-no’-min (wild 

rice). It was the sacred gift from the 

chosen ground, and the sixth stopping 

place of the migration.

7 But the elders thought the journey 

wasn’t quite over. An ancient prophesy 

spoke of a turtle-shaped island at the 

end of the journey. When the southern 

group of Anishinabe found Mo-ningwun’-a-kawn-ing (Madeline Island), 

the Sacred Shell rose out of the water, 

and tobacco was placed on its shore... 

The Sacred Fire was carried here and 

continues to burn brightly.

Adapted from The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway by 

Edward Benton-Banai (University of Minnesota Press, 1988) and 

“Ojibwe Migration Story” at www.ojibwe.org. 
UNIT 3

Lesson 3.1

154 | 3.1 Mississippi River's Ancient Civilizations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Discussion (45 minutes)

Discuss the role of oral traditions 

in Native American culture and 

read the Ojibwe Migration story 

with the class. Then read the Pipe 

of Peace story and the excerpt 

from the Song of Hiawatha by 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Both 

poems refer to a sacred place where 

pipestone, a soft, red rock used to 

make pipes, is found.

Explain that Song of Hiawatha is a 

long, epic poem based on the oral 

tradition of the Ojibwe. Written in 

1855, it is an example of the type of 

American Romantic literature that 

helped create the stereotype of the 

noble savage.

The poem’s title character reveals a 

lack of understanding about Ojibwe 

history and culture. Longfellow 

mistook Hiawatha as another 

name for the Ojibwe cultural hero 

Manabozho. Instead, Hiawatha was 

a leader of the Iroquois, a traditional 

enemy of Ojibwe. 

Ask students to consider the 

similarities and differences between 

the story and the poem. Point out 

the use of repetition in both. 

What might that tell us about the 

similarities between epic poetry and 

oral traditions? Would it help people 

memorize and transmit culture from 

one generation to the next?

Song of Hiawatha

 On the Mountains of the Prairie,

 On the great Red Pipe-stone Quarry,

 Gitche Manito, the mighty,

 He the Master of Life descending,

 On the red crags of the quarry,

 Stood erect and called the nations,

 Called the tribes of men together.

The Pipe of Peace

“In the olden days, so they say, the Indians fought 

much. Always they followed the war trail. Then Gitche 

Manito, the Good Mystery, thought, ‘This is not well. 

My children should not always follow the war trail.’ 

Therefore he called a great council. He called all the 

tribes together. Now this was on the upper Mississippi.”

“Gitche Manito stood on a great wall of red rock. On 

the green plain below him were the wigwams of his 

children. All the tribes were there. Gitche Manito broke 

off a piece of the red rock. He made a pipe out of it. He 

made a pipe by turning it in his hands. Then he smoked 

the pipe, and the smoke made a great cloud in the sky.”

“He spoke in a loud voice. He said, ‘See, my people, 

this stone is red. It is red because it is the fl esh of all 

tribes. Therefore can it be used only for a pipe of peace 

when you cease to follow the war trail. Therefore it is 

the Place of Peace. To all the tribes it belongs.’ Then the 

cloud grew larger and Gitche Manito vanished in it.” 

“Now therefore, because of the command of Gitche 

Manito, the Indians smoke the pipe of peace when they 

cease to follow the war trail. And because it is the Place 

of Peace, the tomahawk and the scalping knife are 

never lifted here.”

“The Pipe of Peace” from Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley 

and the Great Lakes, edited by Katherine B. Judson and originally 

published in 1914. p

“ I am weary of your quarrels,

 Weary of your wars and bloodshed,

 Weary of your prayers for vengeance,

 Of your wranglings and dissensions;

“ Break the red stone from this quarry,

 Mould and make it into Peace-pipes,

 Take the reeds that grow beside you,

 Deck them with your brightest feathers,

 Smoke the calumet together.”

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Lesson 2.1

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.1

What you’ll need

• Cahokia: City of the Sun

online video 

• Access to the Internet

• Student activity 

worksheet (page 156)

• Teaching and Evaluating 

Haiku (page 157)

Activity

Express Yourself

 Through Poetry

Get Ready

Read the Ojibwe story Pipe of Peace and the excerpt from the 

Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on page 154 

to the class and discuss their similarities and differences. Explain 

that although the “Pipe of Peace” is said to be one of the original 

Native American stories Hiawatha was based on, it was published 

by someone who was not Native American. Ask students to think 

about the difference between listening to a story and reading one.

Do This

1. Watch the online video Cahokia: City of the Sun. Go to 

www.cahokiamounds.org and click on Learn. Then click on 

Video Features. You need Adobe Flash Player to view the video.

2. Discuss the video with students. Use the following questions to 

start the discussion.

• Where does the name Cahokia come from? Answer: From the 

Iroquois who settled in the area after Cahokia was deserted. We 

don’t know what these people called themselves.

• What happened to them? Answer: No one knows for sure. They 

could have dispersed into smaller societies throughout the 

Midwest. Archeologists are studying the mounds to learn more.

• What did they eat? Where did they get it? Answer: They grew corn, 

beans, and squash.

• How did they build the mounds? Answer: They dug the earth with 

stone tools and carried it in baskets.

3. Ask students to write a Haiku poem about the Cahokia Mounds 

using the student activity worksheet on page 156. See Teaching 

and Evaluating Haiku on page 157 for more information.

4. Ask students to create a visual to go with the haiku, such as a 

photo, drawing, painting, or collage.

• 30 min. for 

discussion

• 15 min. to watch 

video

• 30-45 minutes to 

write poem and 

create visual

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.1 Mississippi River's Ancient Civilizations | 155

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

About the video

City of the Sun was produced 

by Donna Lawrence 

Productions, Inc. of Louisville, 

Kentucky. It won a Gold 

Medal Award at the 33rd 

Annual International Film and 

Television Festival of New York.
156 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

1. Write a Haiku poem about the Cahokia Mounds.

2. Create a visual to go with your poem.

3. Writing a Haiku poem

The haiku is a very structured poetry form. Initially introduced by the Japanese, it 

is a three-lined poem containing fi ve syllables in the fi rst line, seven in the second, 

and fi ve in the third. 

The Cahokia

were alive long, long ago

on the river banks.

Express Yourself Through Poetry
Answer Key

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.1 Mississippi River's Ancient Civilizations | 157

Express Yourself Through Poetry

Teaching and Evaluating Haiku

Evaluation Key for Activity Worksheet (page 156)

Short and imaginative, haiku are a great 

tool for combining natural history, social 

science, and language arts. Originating 

in Japan, haiku is a unique form poetry 

now popular across the world. It is 

a relaxing way to use refl ection and 

creativity for self-expression. 

Traditional haikus have 17 short sounds 

divided into three lines of a fi xed fi veseven-fi ve pattern. However, we suggest 

allowing for some fl exibility in the 5-7-5 

syllable pattern in order to give students 

more freedom for self-expression and 

still achieve a concise, well-structured 

haiku. A general guideline requires that 

the poem be three lines with the middle 

line longer and totaling no more than 

17 syllables.

Assess student haiku by the balance 

of their structure and the quality of the 

refl ection. 

Haiku examples

warm sun on my face 

dragonfl y on my fi nger 

slow moving river

water falls from dam 

framed by arch of busy bridge 

rocks on river bank 

on far river bank 

gull tears into old fi sh fl esh 

two crows stand watching 

precipitous bluffs 

old shore of ancient river 

memory remains

– excerpts from Michael Czarnecki's “Mississippi River Haiku”
Extension Suggestions

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

Lesson 3.1

158 | 3.1 Mississippi River's Ancient Civilizations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 Career launch

Invite a local 

archeologist, 

anthropologist, 

or a historian to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to research the fi eld 

and prepare questions in advance. 

See A1: Career Launch on page 

312 for career information and 

professional associations.

Get out!

Visit an ancient mound 

site near you:

• Aztalan State Park, 

Lake Mills, Wisconsin

• Cahokia Mounds State Historic 

Site, Collinsville, Illinois 

• Effigy Mounds National 

Monument, Harpers Ferry, Iowa

• Gull Lake Recreation Center, 

Brainerd, Minnesota

• Osterhout Mound Park, 

Hannibal, Missouri

• Toolesboro Mounds 

National Historic Landmark, 

Wapello, Iowa

Express yourself!

• Design and build a diorama 

of the Cahokia mounds 

with dwellings

• Get some craft clay and 

make pottery using the coil 

method. Decorate it and fi re 

it in the oven. Use it to hold a 

keepsake that means something 

special to you.

• Write a play about what life 

might have been like in Cahokia.

• Create a timeline for the tribal 

groups in your area.

UNIT 3

Learn more online

Learn about Native Americans 

from the American Indian Heritage 

Foundation (www.indians.org)

Search keywords: Resource 

Directory

Learn more about pipestone 

from the National Park Service 

(www.nps.gov). Search keywords: 

Pipestone National Monument

Learn about Mississippi River 

history and culture from the 

National Park Service 

(www.nps.gov)

Search keywords: Mississippi 

History and Culture and/or

Search keywords: Mississippi 

Archaeology Program

Learn about past cultures of the 

Upper Mississippi River from the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–

St. Paul District 

(www.mvp.usace.army.mil)

Search keywords: Historical 

Publications

Pottery was a major innovation that spread during 

the Woodland period. Most was created using 

clay that was rolled and coiled into the shape of 

the pot. A rim was added to the top. The outside 

of the pot was often decorated with punctuated 

or cord-marked designs. The fi nished pieces were 

hardened in an open fi re pit. Later, shells from the 

river were added to strengthen the clay, which also 

added different colors to the pottery.
UNIT 3

Lesson 3.2

Where 

Worlds Meet:

Early European Exploration

of the Mississippi River

Introduction

In lesson 3.2, students discover what happened when the 

old and new worlds converged on the Mississippi River 

by plotting the courses of early European explorers Louis 

Jolliet and Jacques Marquette and researching the Native 

American tribes they encountered. 

 Unit 3 goal

Learn how communities 

and cultures develop

to form civilizations

 Lesson Goal

Learn how new European 

settlements started along the 

Mississippi River

 Lesson objectives

• Identify explorers of the 

Mississippi river and their 

sponsoring countries

• Discuss why many countries 

wanted to claim the 

Mississippi river

• Explain the importance of 

the Louisiana Purchase

 Educational standards

• Social Science

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Internet and library access

• Laminated wall map

 How long it will take

• Discussion: several 

class sessions

• Activity 1: several 

class sessions

 What’s next!

Westward Ho! 

The Louisiana Purchase

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration... | 159

Students use language arts, history, geography, 

and mapping skills to understand the 

signifi cance and impact of early European 

exploration and colonization. 

Students use language arts, history, geograph Students use language arts history geography, 

Oil painting by Wilhelm Lamprecht 

(1838–1906) of Father Jaques Marquette 

and the Indians at the Mississippi River
13

18

17

19

20

16

14 15

9

7

6

8

11

12

5 10

4

1 2

3

Lesson 3.2

UNIT 3

160 | 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

As we were descending the river, 

we saw high rocks with hideous 

monsters painted on them and 

upon which the bravest Indian 

dare not look. They are as large 

as a calf, with claws and horns 

like a goat, their eyes are red, 

beard like a tiger’s and a face like 

a man’s. Their tails are so long 

that they pass over their bodies 

and between their legs under 

their bodies, ending like a fi sh’s 

tail. They are painted red, green 

and black, and so well-drawn 

that I could not believe that they 

were drawn by the Indians, and 

for what purpose they were 

drawn seems to me a mystery.

 – Father Jacques Marquette

Background

European Exploration

In the 1500s, Europeans were on the 

move. France, Britain, and Spain had 

developed a taste for spices, sugar, 

silks, and other exotic goods from the 

Far East, and they were looking for a 

new, easier route to the east that would 

make these trade items cheaper. As they 

explored North America looking for the 

fabled Northwest Passage, they noticed 

this new world was a land of riches for 

the country that could claim, explore, 

map, and control it. 

European explorers and traders soon 

learned that the Mississippi River was 

a major water route in the middle of 

this large continent. Like the Native 

Americans that had lived there for 

Piasa Bird

centuries, European explorers began 

using the river as a major transportation 

route. In many ways, the Mississippi River 

is North America’s fi rst major highway. 

Native Americans 

North America was anything but new 

to the Native Americans who had lived 

here for millennia. The tribes that lived 

along the river in the 1600s included the 

Dakotas, Illinois, and the Ioway. Other 

tribes that lived in the area in the 1600s 
Lesson 3.2

UNIT 3

were the Menominee, Ho-chunk, Fox, 

Kickapoo, Miami, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, 

Shawnee, Sac, Sioux, and Winnebago.

Europeans also noticed the many furbearing animals that inhabited the 

waterways of the upper Midwest, 

including beaver, otter, mink, bear, 

and deer. Many decided to settle in 

the Upper Mississippi River to invest 

in the rich fur trade, the success of 

which depended on Native American 

cooperation and assistance. 

Jolliet and Marquette Expedition

The fi rst Europeans to travel south on 

the Mississippi River were Louis Jolliet 

and Jacques Marquette. In 1673, they 

were searching for a water route that led 

to the Pacifi c Ocean, which would make 

the fur trade easier and more profi table.

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration... | 161

1. Santee Dakota

2. Menominee

3. Ioway

4. Ho-chunk

5. Illinois

6. Potawatomi

7. Sac

8. Mascouten

9. Fox

10. Miami

11. Kickapoo

12. Shawnee

13. Ojibwe

14. Ottawa

15. Petun

16. Neutral

17. Nipissing

18. Algonkin

19. Huron

20. Iroquois

Indian Tribe Territories circa 1600

(map to the left)

Jolliet and Marquette travelled with 

fi ve other men along Lake Michigan to 

Green Bay, canoed up the Fox River, 

and then went downstream on the 

Wisconsin River to the Mississippi River. 

They became the fi rst non-natives to 

view the image of the Piasa bird on the 

bluffs near present-day Alton, Illinois. 

Marquette wrote about this Native 

American painting of a mythical spiritbeing being in his journal, making it 

one of the earliest written accounts 

of Native American rock art in eastern 

North America. 

Jolliet and Marquette traveled 

downstream to the confl uence of the 

Arkansas River before turning around 

in fear of hostile Indians and Spanish 

explorers. They returned to Lake 

Michigan via the Illinois River. Jolliet’s 

journal and his maps were lost when his 

canoe overturned on the rapids of the 

Montreal River. Marquette’s diary is all 

that remains of their journey. 
Lesson 3.2

UNIT 3

Hernando de Soto (c.1496/1497–1542) was a 

Spanish explorer and conquistador who led 

the fi rst European expedition deep into the 

modern-day United States, including parts 

of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, 

Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, while 

searching for a water route to the Pacifi c. 

De Soto died in 1542 on the banks of the 

Mississippi River near southern Arkansas or 

northern Louisiana.

162 | 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Louis Jolliet (1645 –1700) was a French 

Canadian fur trader, guide and mapmaker 

born in Québec City. He explored the 

Canadian wilderness and the Great Lakes 

area. After the expedition, Jolliet continued 

his efforts to expand the fur trade 

westward and did extensive mapping.

Father Jacques Marquette (1637 – 1675) 

was a Jesuit priest from France who came 

to Canada as a missionary. He sailed to 

Quebec in 1666 and started a Chippewa 

(Ojibwe) mission at Chequamegon Bay 

at the western end of Lake Superior in 

1671. He traveled with Louis Jolliet in the 

hopes of converting Native Americans to 

Catholicism. Marquette died of dysentery 

shortly after the expedition.

Robert de La Salle (1643 – 1687) was a French 

explorer who traveled extensively throughout 

the Great Lakes. His mission was to explore and 

establish fur-trade routes along the river. La Salle 

was the fi rst European to sail down the length 

of the Mississippi River to its mouth. In 1682 he 

claimed the entire Mississippi basin for France, 

naming it Louisiana in honor of the King Louis XIV.
Lesson 3.2

UNIT 3

Discussion (60-90 minutes)

Introduce the timeline of European 

exploration. Discuss how many 

countries wanted to claim the 

Mississippi River and other parts of 

North America and why. Ask how 

the success of European expeditions 

depended on the cooperation and 

goodwill of the Native Americans they 

met along the way.

Who were the famous explorers of the 

Mississippi River? Where did they come 

from and what part of the Mississippi 

did they explore?

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration... | 163

We were not long in preparing all our 

Equipment, although we were about to 

Begin a voyage, the duration of which Nie 

could not foresee. Indian Corn, with some 

smoked meat, constituted all our provisions; 

with these we Embarked - Monsieur 

Jollyet and myself, with 5 men in 2 Bark 

Canoes, fully resolved to do and suffer 

everything for so glorious an Undertaking. 

Accordingly, on The 17th day of may, 1673, 

we started from the Mission of St. Ignace 

at Michilimakinac, where I Then was. The 

joy that we felt at being selected for This 

Expedition animated our Courage, and 

rendered the labor of paddling from morning 

to night agreeable to us.

–from the journal of Father Jacques Marquette 

1541 CE: Spanish 

explorer Hernando 

de Soto became 

the fi rst recorded 

European to reach 

the Mississippi 

River.

1673 CE: French 

explorers Louis Jolliet 

and Jacques Marquette 

began exploring the 

Mississippi River.

1699 CE: Pierre Le Moyne 

d’Iberville rediscovered the mouth 

of the Mississippi, following the 

death of La Salle. The French built 

the small fort of La Balise there to 

control passage.

1803 CE: The United 

States bought 

the territory from 

France in the 

Louisiana Purchase.

1680 CE: Father Louis 

Hennepin (1626-1705), the 

Flemish Recollect friar and 

explorer, saw the Falls of 

St. Anthony, future site of 

Minneapolis.

1718 CE: New Orleans 

established by the French.

1804–1806 CE:

The Lewis and Clark 

expedition explored 

the Missouri River 

in a search for a 

northwest water 

passage to the 

Pacifi c Ocean.

1682 CE: French 

explorers Robert de 

La Salle and Henri de 

Tonti claimed the entire 

Mississippi River Valley 

for France.

1756–1763 CE: French 

and Indian War

1763 CE: Following 

Britain’s victory in the 

Seven Years War, the 

Mississippi became the 

border between the British 

and Spanish Empires. 

1800 CE: France 

reacquired Louisiana 

territory from Spain 

in the secret Treaty of 

San Ildefonso.

1

S

1

T

1500 1550 1650 1600 1700 1800 1750

European Exploration 

and Trade Timeline
Lesson 3.2

UNIT 3

In this activity, students plot the routes of early European 

explorers and research the Native American cultures they 

encountered on the Upper Mississippi River.

Research 

In preparation for the class activity, ask students to work in 

groups to research the journeys of Hernando de Soto, 

Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet, and Robert de la Salle.

Do This

1. Plot the routes of the European explorers and traders 

on the wall map. See page 167.

2. Using the map on page 167, plot the general location of 

some of the Native American tribes Jolliet and Marquette 

encountered on the wall map. 

• Dakotas, Illinois, and the Ioway lived along the river. 

• Some other tribes present in the area 

at the time were Menominee, Hochunk, Fox, Kickapoo, Miami, Ojibwe, 

Potawatomi, Shawnee, Sac, Sioux, 

and Winnebago.

3. Assign students, either individually 

or in small groups, to research a 

specifi c Native American group and 

answer the following questions:

• Identify some unique cultural aspects 

of each tribe.

• How did the Native Americans and 

explorers interact?

164 | 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Activity

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

What you’ll need

• Laminated wall map

• Markers

• Pictures either drawn 

or found of Mississippi 

River Indian tribes

• Activity worksheet 

(pages 165-166)

Explorers

 and Traders

Which Way Did They Go?

“Amiskquew”

(a Menominie warrior)

“Shau-Hau-Napo-Tinia”

(An Ioway chief)
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 165

European Explorers and Traders

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

1. Plot the routes of Hernando DeSoto, Robert de La Salle, and Jacques Marquette 

and Louis Joliet on the map on the other side of this sheet.

2. Research your assigned Native American tribe and plot its location on the map. 

3. List three important cultural aspects of the tribe.

4. How did the tribe and explorers interact?

Which Way Did They Go?
166 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org
De Soto (1539)

Marquette and Jolliet (1673)

La Salle (1682)

Answer Key

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration... | 167

Answers for Activity Sheets (pages 165–166)

3. List three important cultural aspects of the tribe.

Answers will vary depending on the tribe students select. Cultural aspects should focus 

on responses to basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter, as well as technology, 

language, arts (including music), education, religion, or recreation. Interaction with 

traders should focus on either cooperation or confl ict.

4. How did the tribe and the explorers interact?

Answers will vary depending on the tribe students select. 

Interaction with traders should focus on either cooperation or confl ict.

Which Way Did They Go?
Extension Suggestions

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 3

Learn more online

Learn about what the United 

States was like before Lewis and 

Clark from the Library of Congress 

(www.loc.gov)

Click button: exhibitions

Search keywords: before Lewis 

and Clark

Learn more about Hernando de 

Soto at www.fl oridahistory.com.

Learn more about Marquette 

and Jolliet from the Wisconsin 

Historical Society. Go to 

www.wisconsinhistory.org 

and search Marquette and Jolliet.

Grades K-4 extension

Play Native American 

children’s games online. 

Go to Native Tech’s website

(www.nativetech.org)

Under Special Features, 

click button: Games 

and Toys

“Upper Mississippi River” by 

George Catlin (1796 - 1872). 

Catlin was an American painter 

and author who traveled 

throughout the United States. 

In 1841, he published Manners, 

Customs, and Condition of the 

North American Indians. 

168 | 3.2 Where Worlds Meet: Early European Exploration... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 3.2

 Career launch

Invite a local tribal 

spokesperson to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the tribe and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

Visit your local historical society 

to learn more about European 

explorers and Native American 

tribes in your area. 

Express yourself!

Research the culture of one 

of the tribes encountered by 

Jolliet and Marquette and 

perform a play, song, or dance 

based on that culture. Make a 

dream catcher or wampum bag.

Explore primary 

resources

Read the journal of Father 

Jacques Marquette to learn 

about the journey in his own 

words. Available online at www.

americanjourneys.org. Click on 

Find a Document and scroll down 

to 1673. Choose “The Mississippi 

Voyage of Jolliet and Marquette. 
UNIT 3

Lesson 3.3

Louisiana 

Purchase:

Gateway to the Western Frontier

Introduction

Lesson 3.3 examines the role of the Mississippi River as a 

primary motivation for the Louisiana Purchase. It compares 

and contrasts the expeditions of Lewis and Clark and 

Zebulon Pike, and invites students to imagine the skill and 

courage required to plan and execute an expedition up the 

Upper Mississippi River by planning a trip of their own. 

Background

The Louisiana Purchase was 

one of the most important 

events in American history. 

It gave the United States 

ownership and control of the 

Mississippi River and the vast 

western part of its watershed. 

A vital transportation route, the 

Mississippi River was key to 

the survival and expansion of 

a growing nation. 

 Unit 3 goal

Learn how communities 

and cultures develop

to form civilizations

 Lesson Goal

Understand the Mississippi 

River’s role in the Louisiana 

Purchase

 Lesson objectives

• Review the importance of the 

Louisiana Purchase

• Discuss the signifi cance of 

Zebulon Pike’s expedition on 

the Mississippi River

• Compare and contrast the 

Lewis and Clark and the 

Zebulon Pike expeditions. 

 Educational standards

• Social Science

 Math

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Wall map

• Access to the Internet

• Journal for each student

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 60-minutes

• Activity 1: Several 60-minute 

sessions over several days, 

plus trip time

 What’s next!

Rivers of human migration

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.3 Louisiana Purchase: Gateway to the Western Frontier | 169

This unit includes information and activities 

that address several key history and geography 

standards, including understanding U.S. 

territorial expansion in the early 1800s and 

the signifi cance of the Louisiana Purchase. It 

also includes information on how the forces 

of cooperation and confl ict among people 

infl uence the division and control of natural 

resources and trade routes, and how it affected 

relationships with Native Americans. Students 

also learn about the importance of maps and 

mapping skills for gathering information about 

people, places, and environments.

This unit includes information and activities unit includes information and activities
UNIT 3

170 | 3.3 Louisiana Purchase: Gateway to the Western Frontier | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 3.3

In the 1800s, the Mississippi River was 

one of the most important geographic 

locations in North America. Whoever 

owned the Mississippi River controlled 

the movement of people and goods 

within the large expanse of land 

between the Appalachian and Rocky 

Mountains.

In 1802, farmers in Kentucky and the 

Mississippi Territory had sent more than 

a million and a half dollars’ worth of 

produce through that channel, including 

over 1,000 hogsheads of tobacco 

(wooden barrels holding up to 1,000 

pounds) and 100,000 barrels of fl our, as 

well as large amounts of bacon, pork, 

lead, cordage, and apples. Of the 265 

vessels that sailed from the Mississippi 

in 1802, more than half were American. 

As Britain, France, and Spain squabbled 

over colonies in North America, the 

Louisiana Territory kept changing hands 

between France and Spain. In October 

1802, Spain closed the mouth of the 

Mississippi to American vessels. 

Petitions began to pour into Congress 

from the Western settlements for the 

defense of their commerce. Realizing 

the importance of the Mississippi 

River to farmers, trappers, and traders, 

U.S. President Thomas Jefferson 

negotiated with France to purchase the 

Louisiana Territory. 

You are to proceed up the Mississippi River with all possible diligence. 

You will please to take the course of the river, and calculate distances by 

time, noting rivers, creeks, highlands, prairies, islands, rapids, shoals, 

mines, quarries, timber, water, soil, Indian villages, and settlements, in 

a diary... You will please to proceed to ascend the main branch of the 

river until you reach the source of it.... You will endeavor to ascertain 

the latitude of the most remarkable places in your route, with the 

extent of the navigation, and the direction of the different rivers which 

fall into the Mississippi. – Orders to Zebulon Pike from James Wilkinson, 

Commanding General of the U.S. Army, July 30, 1805.
L E W I S

1 8 0 6

C L A R K 1 8 0 6

1 8 0 6

1 8 0 4 – 1 8 0 5

1 8 0 5 – 1 8 0 6

1 8 0 6 – 1 8 0 7

P A C I F I C O C E A N

G U L F O F M E X I C O

Sacramento River

Salt River

Colorado River

Arkansas River

N. Platte River

Missouri River

S. Platte River

Snake River

Co

Great Salt Lake

Ohio River

Rio Grande

Mississippi River

Santa Fe

Chihuahua

Natchitoches

New Orleans

St. Louis

Pike's Peak

Staked

Plain

100 0 100 200 300

Miles

1803–1807

WEST EXPANSION AND EXPLORATION

Louisiana Purchase, 1803

Lewis and Clark, Date Indicated

Pike, Date Indicated

High Ground Above 3000 Feet

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.3 Louisiana Purchase: Gateway to the Western Frontier | 171

Venturing into Parts Unknown – 

the Lewis and Clark and Zebulon 

Pike Expeditions

The Louisiana Purchase was the best 

land deal in history. For the incredibly 

low price of just three cents an acre, 

the young United States bought all the 

lands drained by the Mississippi River, 

nearly doubling its size. 

However, the Louisiana Purchase was 

unexplored territory. The only estimates 

of its actual size were based on the 

explorations of Robert LaSalle in 1682. 

The interior of North America was 

essentially a blank map. To settle the 

new territory and make use of its natural 

resources, the United States needed 

to map it and catalog its riches. It took 

about 50 years to complete the maps of 

the West as we know them today.

U.S. President Thomas Jefferson 

immediately began planning several 

missions to explore and chart the 

territory. The most famous of these was 

the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804– 

1806. Headed by the United States 

Army soldiers Meriwether Lewis and 

William Clark, it was the fi rst overland 

expedition undertaken by the United 

States to the Pacifi c coast and back. 

But Lewis and Clark were not the only 

explorers of the Louisiana Purchase. The 

young Army Lieutenant Zebulon Pike 

was chosen to explore the Mississippi 

River north of St. Louis, Missouri.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition 

(1804–1806) was the fi rst overland 

expedition undertaken by the United 

States to the Pacifi c coast and back. 

• The expedition team was headed 

by the United States Army soldiers 

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark 

and assisted by Sacagawea and 

Toussaint Charbonneau.

• The expedition’s goal was to gain an 

accurate sense of the resources being 

acquired in the Louisiana Purchase.

• The expedition laid much of the 

groundwork for the westward 

expansion of the United States.

• The expedition began May 14, 1804 and 

fi nished Sept. 23, 1806.

• The round-trip journey took two years, 

four months, and ten days.

• It started from Camp Wood on Wood 

River (River Dubois) near Alton, Illinois.

• It ended in St. Louis, Missouri. 

• It covered 8,000 miles and cost $38,722.

• It included 33 people and one dog in the 

“Permanent Party.”

Co

ramento Rive
172 | 3.1 Mississippi River's Mighty Civilizations | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.3

Pike Expedition 

of the Upper Mississippi

Lewis and Clark were on their way 

back from the Pacifi c when Zebulon 

Pike left St. Louis, Missouri, on August 

9, 1805 with twenty-three men to 

explore the Upper Mississippi River to 

present-day Minnesota. In their 70-foot 

keel boat they had supplies for four 

months, which they were expected to 

supplement by hunting. 

Pike’s orders were to locate the source 

of the Mississippi River, look for 

potential military post sites, inform 

people that the area now belonged to 

the United States, and notify British 

traders that their fur and trading 

operations were illegal. In addition, 

Pike was also expected to ask Native 

Americans for allegiance to the U.S. and 

make peace between the Ojibwe and 

Dakota Indians.

“From the Falls of St. Anthony to the 

Rum River, the Mississippi is almost one 

continued chain of rapids, with eddies 

formed by winding channels. The land on 

both sides consists of prairie, with scarcely 

any timber, excepting small groves of 

scrub oak. Rum river is about fi fty yards 

wide at its mouth, and takes its source in 

Le Mille Lac, which is but thirty-fi ve miles 

south of lower Red Cedar Lake. The small 

Indian canoes ascend this river quite to 

the lake, the ground in the neighborhood 

of which is considered one of the best 

hunting stations for some hundred of 

miles, and has long been a scene of 

contention between the hunting parties of 

the Sioux and Sauteaux [Ojibwe].” 

–Zebulon Pike, Oct. 1, 1805.

In 1810, Zebulon Pike published an 

account of his expeditions called An 

Account of Expeditions to the Sources of 

the Mississippi, and Through the Western 

Parts of Louisiana, to the Sources of the 

Arkansaw, Kans, La Platte, and Pierre Jaun, 

Rivers. It described the journeys he took 

at the request of the U.S. government 

between 1805 and 1807. 
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.1 Mississippi River's Mighty Civilizations | 173

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.3

Pike and his men constructed Fort 

Ripley, the fi rst American fort west of 

the Mississippi River, on December 14, 

1805. He also identifi ed locations for a 

series of forts to protect the fur trade 

that were later constructed by the War 

Department between 1816 and 1819:

• Fort Madison, located at the head of the 

Des Moines River Rapids

• Fort Edward, located at the foot of the 

Des Moines River Rapids

• Fort Armstrong, located at the foot of the 

Rock Island Rapids 

• Fort Crawford, located at Prairie du Chien, 

Wisconsin

• Fort Snelling, located at St. PaulMinneapolis, Minnesota

Pike’s expedition and the information he 

gathered strengthened the U.S. claim 

to the Louisiana Purchase and the fur 

trade. He published the most detailed 

account at the time of the cultures, 

animals, plants, waterways, settlements, 

and numerous other descriptions of 

the Upper Mississippi River. His book 

became required reading for all military 

explorers in the 19th century.

Discussion (60 minutes)

• Review the importance of the 

Louisiana Purchase.

• Outline the Louisiana Purchase on 

the wall map.

• Identify the current states that 

were part of the purchase.

• What was the purpose of the Lewis 

and Clark expedition? It was to 

fi nd a practical, primarily water 

route across North America to the 

Pacifi c Ocean and to explore, map, 

and describe the people and the 

resources of the northwestern part of 

the Louisiana Purchase.

• What was the purpose of the 

Zebulon Pike expedition? It was 

to explore, map, and describe 

the people and the resources of 

the Upper Mississippi River to its 

headwaters.

This map of the Mississippi River from its source to 

the mouth of the Missouri River was drawn based 

on Zebulon Pike’s notes from his journey.
174 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Preparing for an Expedition

Mathematical Instruments

surveyor’s compass 

hand compass 

quadrants 

telescope 

thermometers 

2 sextants 

set of plotting instruments 

chronometer (needed to calculate 

longitude) 

Clothing

45 fl annel shirts 

coats 

frocks 

shoes 

woolen pants 

blankets 

knapsacks 

stockings

Camp Supplies

150 yards of cloth to be oiled and 

sewn into tents and sheets 

pliers 

chisels 

30 steels for striking to make fi re 

handsaws 

hatchets 

whetstones 

iron corn mill 

two dozen tablespoons 

mosquito curtains 

10 1/2 pounds of fi shing hooks and 

fi shing lines 

12 pounds of soap 

193 pounds of “portable soup” (a 

thick paste concocted by boiling 

down beef, eggs, and vegetables) 

three bushels of salt 

writing paper, ink, and crayons 

What Supplies Would You Need?

We don’t know what supplies Zebulon Pike took with him on his nine-month 

journey on the Upper Mississippi River. However, we do know what Lewis and 

Clark took with them on their long, two-year journey.

Take a look at Meriwether Lewis’ list of supplies. What would you take with you 

on such a long journey?
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 175

Arms / Ammunition

15 prototype Model 1803 muzzleloading .54 caliber rifl es 

knives 

500 rifl e fl ints 

420 pounds of sheet lead for bullets 

176 pounds of gunpowder packed in 

52 lead canisters 

1 long-barreled rifl e that fi red its 

bullet with compressed air, rather 

than by fl int, spark, and powder 

Presents for Indians

12 dozen pocket mirrors 

4,600 sewing needles 

144 small scissors 

10 pounds of sewing thread 

silk ribbons 

ivory combs 

handkerchiefs 

yards of bright-colored cloth 

130 rolls of tobacco 

tomahawks that doubled as pipes 

288 knives 

8 brass kettles 

vermilion face paint 

33 pounds of tiny beads of 

assorted colors 

Medicine / Medical Supplies

50 dozen Dr. Rush’s patented 

 “Rush’s pills” 

lancets 

forceps 

syringes 

tourniquets 

1,300 doses of physic 

1,100 hundred doses of emetic 

3,500 doses of diaphoretic 

(sweat inducer) 

other drugs for blistering, salivation, 

and increased kidney output

Traveling Library

Barton’s Elements of Botany

Antoine Simon Le Page du Pratz’s 

History of Louisiana

Richard Kirwan’s Elements of 

Mineralogy 

A Practical Introduction to Spherics 

and Nautical Astronomy 

The Nautical Almanac and 

Astronomical Ephemeris 

a four-volume dictionary 

a two-volume edition of Linnaeus 

(the founder of the Latin 

classifi cation of plants) 

tables for fi nding longitude 

and latitude 

map of the Great Bend of the 

Missouri River
UNIT 3

Lesson 3.3

Trek Like

 Lewis and Clark

Get Ready

Review the list of items Lewis and Clark took on their two-year 

expedition. Compare and contrast that with what you might 

take today on a one-week canoe trip. What items would be 

similar? What items would be very different? 

Do This

1. Discuss how important it is to carefully plan a week-long 

canoe trip. Explain that it will require everyone’s input and 

assistance. Then divide students into planning teams, such as 

food, transportation, equipment, and safety.

2. Ask each group to brainstorm all the supplies 

needed for their area of responsibility. Each team 

should produce a supply list.

Activity

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

What you’ll need

• Access to the Internet

• Preparing for an Expedition 

handout (page 174-175)

• Trek like Lewis and Clark 

student activity worksheet 

(pages 178-179)

Over several days, some 

may be homework 

assignments

3. Ask each team to select a team leader 

and assign roles to make sure all 

necessary preparations are made. 

176 | 3.3 Louisiana Purchase: Gateway to the Western Frontier | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Teacher

 Tip

Visit the Mississippi River 

Water Trail’s website at 

www.greatriverwatertrail.org 

for information on trip planning, 

maps, and safety. 
UNIT 3

Lesson 3.3

After the class has started the planning process, invite a river 

guide to talk to the class and assist in the planning. Have 

students prepare questions beforehand and summarize the 

guide’s advice afterwards.

To get the class thinking, some questions to ask the students: 

• How will you get the people and supplies to the river?

• How will you pay for the trip?

• What items can be loaned or donated to the class?

• How should the class organize themselves to plan the trip?

Plan Your Expedition

Here are a few team suggestions along 

with their main responsibilities and some 

questions and lists of items to brainstorm 

with students.

Safety team: Think safety fi rst! Designate 

a safety team, but remind students that 

EVERYONE is on the safety team. This team 

is responsible for safety equipment and fi rst 

aid supplies. Don’t forget fi rst aid kits and 

life jackets.

Itinerary team: Gathers water trail maps, 

plans the route and the stopovers as well as 

activities. How far can the class travel in one 

day? Where should we stop over at night? 

What will we do during the day? At night? 

Suggestions could include bird watching, 

stargazing, storytelling. 

Finance team: Figures out the cost to 

buy or rent equipment and supplies 

and investigates loan and donation 

opportunities. How much will everything 

cost? How should the expense be shared?

Food team: Determines menus and 

supplies for the whole class. How will 

they prepare the food? What about drinking 

water and cooking water? Supply list 

should include cooking and cleaning 

supplies needed, such as camping stoves, 

waterproof matches, cooking pots, dishes, 

eating utensils.

Supply team: Determines supplies needed, 

including how many canoes, tents, sleeping 

bags, compasses, lanterns, as well as 

personal items that each person must bring, 

such as fl ashlights, whistles, all-weather 

clothing, backpack, jacket, rain gear, hiking 

shoes, socks, pants, shirts, underwear, 

toiletries (sunscreen, insect repellent, etc.), 

camera, journal.

Disposal team: How will we dispose of 

waste, including human waste, and trash. 

What can be reused? What can be recycled? 

How do you properly dispose of waste? 

Transportation team: Figures out how to 

move people, equipment, and supplies 

to and from river. How many people per 

vehicle? Will they have to transport the 

canoes or will they be rented at the river 

entry point?

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.3 Louisiana Purchase: Gateway to the Western Frontier | 177

Teacher

 Tip
178 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Trek Like Lewis and Clark

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Plan a one-week trip on the Upper Mississippi River. Review the materials 

Lewis and Clark took on their two-year journey to help you brainstorm the 

supplies needed for your trip. Some items Lewis and Clark took: 

• Provisions: rifl es, writing books, dried and salted rations, fi shing tackle, 

axes, clothes, medicine, cloth tent, mosquito netting, cooking pots, 

blacksmith’s tools, lead for bullets

• Trade goods: glass beads, mirrors, blankets, needles, scissors, thread, 

knives, and trinkets

Where will YOU go and how will you get to the launch site? 

What kind and how much food do you need to take? (Remember you need enough 

for the whole class and the chaperones.) How much will you carry? How will you get 

more on the trip? 
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 179

What kinds of equipment do you need (for canoeing, cooking, 

sleeping, wearing etc.)? What other things should you take?

What will it cost? Remember Lewis and Clark started with $2,500 and ended up 

spending almost $39,000.

Resource: Across America: The Story of Lewis and Clark by Jacqueline Morley

The Lewis and Clark 

keelboat as drawn by 

William Clark.
Extension Suggestions

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.3

180 | 3.3 Louisiana Purchase: Gateway to the Western Frontier | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 Career launch

Career Launch: Invite 

a local park ranger,

river boat captain, 

river guide, boat 

designer/builder, or 

cartographer to speak to the class. 

Ask students to research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Express yourself!

Write Zebulon Pike, Meriwether 

Lewis, or William Clark a letter 

describing what you learned from 

their expedition and what else you 

would like to know.

Read all about it

• Read Zebulon Pike’s book, 

Exploratory Travels Through 

the Western Territories of North 

America, published in 1811.

• Read the diaries of Meriwether 

Lewis and William Clark.

Get out!

• Map your route from home to 

school and from home to the 

grocery store.

• Take a canoe or kayak trip with 

friends or family. Don’t know 

how to paddle? Take lessons!

• Take a driving trip to trace the 

path of Zebulon Pike from St. 

Louis to Leech Lake, which he 

thought was the source of the 

Mississippi River.

Learn more online

Learn about Lewis and Clark 

Expedition from the National Park 

Service (www.nps.gov)

Search keywords: Lewis and Clark 

Journey of Discovery

Learn about Sacagawea from 

the National Park Service 

(www.nps.gov) and write a 

Haiku about her

Search keywords: Corps of 

Discovery Sacagawea

Learn about Mark Twain’s 

Cave from the National 

Geographic Xpeditions 

(www.nationalgeographic.com)

Search keywords: Mark 

Twain’s Cave

Was Zebulon Pike a failure? 

Read this article from the 

Morrison County Historical 

Society in Minnesota and decide. 

(www.morrisoncountyhistory.org/

history) Search keywords: Was 

Pike a failure?

Learn about Zebulon 

Pike’s expeditions 

(www.zebulonpike.org)

Consult an expert

Use Teaching with Documents: 

The Lewis and Clark Expedition 

from The National Archives 

and Records Administration 

(www.archives.gov)

Search keywords: education 

lessons Lewis and Clark

The Lewis and Clark keelboat 

as drawn by William Clark.
UNIT 3

Lesson 3.4

Rivers of Human 

Migration:

Settlement, Transportation, and Trade

 Unit 3 goal

Learn how communities 

and cultures develop 

to form civilizations

 Lesson Goal

Learn why people migrate and 

the river’s role in migration

 Lesson objectives

• Explore reasons for human 

migration

• Research your state

• Identify geographic 

characteristics that infl uenced 

migration and settlement

 Educational standards

• Social Science

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Local historian

• Internet and library access

• Wall map

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 60-90 min.

• Activity 1: 30 min.

• Activity 2: 1 hr. 45 min.

• Activity 3: 1 hr. 30 min.

 What’s next!

The role of the Mississippi 

River in the Underground Railroad

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | 181

Introduction

In Lesson 3.4, students learn about the European-American 

migration of settlers as they move from east to west in 

search of new land and opportunity. They analyze primary 

sources written in the 1800s and evaluate the geographic 

characteristics that infl uenced migration and settlement.

Background

The Mississippi River represents an ideal focal point for 

examining the geographic factors in United States history, as 

well as patterns of change 

over time, especially in 

the form of geographic 

expansion, as the United 

States enveloped the land 

on both sides of the river.

This lesson uses language arts to explore 

state, regional, and national history. It 

addresses several key social science standards, 

especially geography and history, focusing 

on the eras of colonization and settlement 

through expansion and reform. Students 

read for perspective and multicultural 

understanding and apply 

language skills. 

This lesson uses language arts to explore

“Emigrants Crossing 

the Plains,” painted by 

F. O. C. Darley in 1869. 
–Stephen 

Vincent Benét

America Expands

When the United States purchased the 

Louisiana Territory, it gave American farmers 

use of a vitally important waterway—the 

Mississippi River. Having free access to the 

river allowed American farmers and traders 

to move their goods to market much more 

quickly and easily. Between 1800 and 1850, 

the Mississippi River Valley went from being 

America’s frontier to its heartland. 

The Louisiana Territory opened up vast 

expanses of land west of the Mississippi 

to settlers, who—thanks to maps produced 

from the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 

1804-1806—now had a better idea of the 

geography and natural resources west of 

the Mississippi River. However, this land 

was already occupied by Native American 

tribes. President Thomas Jefferson believed 

that Indians would eventually follow the 

example of European American settlers and 

adopt a settled, agrarian lifestyle.

“When they withdraw themselves to the culture 

of a small piece of land, they will perceive how 

useless to them are their extensive forests, and 

will be willing to pare them off from time to time 

in exchange for necessaries for their farms and 

families.” –Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Indiana 

Territory Governor William Harrison, 1803

UNIT 3

182 | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 3.4

Western Wagons

They went with axe and rifl e,

when the trail was still to blaze,

They went with wife and children,

in the prairie-schooner days,

With banjo and with frying pan—

Suzanna, don’t you cry!

For I’m off to California

to get rich out there or die!

We’ve broken land and cleared it,

but we’re tired of where we are.

They say the wild Nebraska

is a better place by far.

There’s gold in far Wyoming,

there’s black earth in Ioway,

So pack up the kids and blankets,

for we’re moving out today!

The cowards never started

and the weak died on the road,

And all across the continent

the endless campfi res glowed,

We’d taken land and settled—

but a traveler passed by—

And we’re going West tomorrow—

Lordy, never ask us why!

We’re going West tomorrow,

where the promises can’t fail.

O’er the hills in legions, boys,

and crowd the dusty trail!

We shall starve and freeze and suffer.

We shall die, and tame the lands.

But we’re going West tomorrow,

with our fortune in our hands.

 
UNIT 3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | 183

Lesson 3.4

Settlement in the Mississippi River Valley 

During the 1820s, pressure from a growing 

U.S. population pushed thousands of 

Americans westward in search of fertile land 

and a better life. Many people 

from Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, 

and Pennsylvania settled in the 

Mississippi Valley. This infl ux of 

people, along with the advent of 

railroads and steamboats, made 

the Mississippi River Valley one 

of the nation’s most complex 

cultural and commercial regions. 

In 1821 Missouri became a state. 

The following year, St. Louis was 

incorporated as a city. 

Need to Know

• Migration: Movement of people to new 

areas, usually in an attempt to fi nd new 

opportunities or resources.

• Settler: Person who has migrated to an 

area and established residence there.

• Settlement: Permanent or temporary 

community in which people live.

• Transportation: Movement of 

people and goods from one location 

to another.

• Trade: Voluntary exchange of goods, 

services, or both. Trade is also called 

commerce. The original form of 

trade was barter, the direct exchange 

of goods and services without 

using money.

“The Pioneer’s Home,” by Currier & Ives, 1867
UNIT 3

184 | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 3.4

Crossroads of History

As the Mississippi River region became 

more crowded, settlers began to move 

even further west into what was now 

called the Missouri Territory. They 

followed Lewis and Clark’s lead by 

starting their journey near St. Louis, 

Missouri, earning that city the title 

Gateway to the West. 

Now the heart of a growing nation, the 

Mississippi River divided East from 

West. As tensions grew over slavery, it 

soon became divided North and South. 

Plantations along the Lower Mississippi 

River depended on slave labor to plant 

and harvest cotton and sugar cane as 

well as load it onto ships. In 1820, the 

U.S. Congress passed the Missouri 

Compromise, which prohibited slavery 

in the former Louisiana Territory north 

of the parallel 36°30’ (roughly the 

northern boundaries of Arkansas, 

Tennessee, and North Carolina) except 

within the boundaries of the proposed 

state of Missouri.
MO

IL

OK

AR MS AL

TN

KY

GA

Tennessee River

Arkansas River

Mississippi River

Tahlequah

Evansville

Fayetteville

Fort Smith

Springfield

Cape Girardeau Hopkinsville

Nashville

Memphis

Little Rock

Fort 

Payne

Chattanooga

Charleston

TX

LA

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | 185

In 1830, Congress passed the Indian 

Removal Act, which forced all Indians living 

east of the Mississippi to move to barren 

land west of the Mississippi. Called the 

Trail of Tears, the forcible removal of many 

different Native American tribes included 

members of the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, 

and Choctaw nations. Many Native 

Americans suffered from exposure, disease, 

and starvation during this long migration.

In all, Native American tribes signed 

94 treaties, ceding thousands of square 

miles to the United States. In 1834, a 

special Indian territory was established in 

what is now the eastern part of Oklahoma.

Sources: Complete Book of United States History, Encyclopedia of American 

History, Northern Illinois University, U.S. State Department Bureau of 

International Information Programs.

Trail of Tears

Land route

Water route

Other major route
UNIT 3

186 | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 3.4

Discussion (60–90 minutes)

Begin a discussion about migration 

by asking students if they have ever 

lived somewhere else. How did they 

feel during and after their move to 

a new home (excited, sad, afraid, 

happy, bored)? Have students share 

the reason why their family moved to 

their current home.

Poll students and record the results. 

How many have lived in more than 

one place? How many have lived in 

a different city? State? Country? 

What were some of the reasons? 

How did students feel about leaving 

familiar places?

Explain that before recorded history, 

humans migrated across continents 

in search of food, shelter, safety, and 

hospitable climate. People still move 

for these reasons today, but also for job 

relocation and overpopulation. 

Discuss the reasons why people 

move, focusing on the push/pull 

factors that lead to migration to and 

from different communities and 

regions. Relate migration patterns 

to economic, political, social, and 

environmental factors.

Ask students how they defi ne migration, 

and record their answers. Students’ 

answers may relate to the migration 

of birds, butterfl ies, or other animals. 

Discuss similarities and differences 

between human and animal migrations. 

 Illinois comes from the Indian word “iliniwok,”

meaning “warriors.”

 Iowa is named after the Iowa Indians. The Iowa

tribal name “Ayuxwa” was spelled by the French 

as “Ayoua” and by the English as “Ioway.” The

Ioway spelled it “Baxoje.”

 Minnesota is an Indian word for “cloudy water.”

 Missouri means “town of the large canoes.”

 Wisconsin means “grassy place” in the

Ojibwe language.
 The Indian village J.W. Spencer 

describes at Rock Island, Illinois, 

belonged to the Sac tribe. He also 

mentions Black Hawk, a famous Sac 

leader. Ask students to research and 

write a report about the Sac tribe or 

Black Hawk. 

 Discuss the 19th century style of 

these documents and how writing 

conventions and vocabulary change 

over time. Ask students to rewrite a 

section from one of the documents 

in a more modern style.

Activity Extension

UNIT 3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | 187

Lesson 3.4

What you’ll need

• Reminiscences of Pioneer 

Life, written in 1872 by 

J.W. Spencer about his 

experiences settling along 

the Mississippi in Illinois 

in the 1820s, on pages 188-189

• View of the Valley of the 

Mississippi written by 

clergyman Robert Baird 

in 1834, on pages 190-191

Views of the Valley

 of the Mississippi 

Students compare and contrast a 

mid-19th century source promoting 

settlement in the Mississippi Valley with 

an actual pioneer account of life there.

Do This

1. Ask students to read the excerpts 

from View of the Valley of the 

Mississippi and Reminiscences 

of Pioneer Life in class or as a 

homework assignment.

2. Discuss the similarities and differences 

between the two accounts with the class.

3. Write an essay comparing and contrasting 

the descriptions of emigrant life and 

opportunities in Illinois.

Activity 1

30 minutes, plus 

reading and essay 

writing time

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

The archaic language and compound-complex 

sentences of many 19th-century authors may be 

diffi cult for students to comprehend, but it also 

presents an opportunity to discuss how language 

changes over time.

Teacher

 Tip
188 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

View of the Valley of the Mississippi

Read and Comprehend

Reminiscences of Pioneer Life

by J.W. Spencer

I was born in Vergennes, Addison County, 

Vermont, on the twenty-fi fth of July, 

1801, and after spending the early years 

of my life there, started, on the fourth of 

September, 1820, for Illinois, driving a 

two-horse team for a gentleman by the 

name of Brush. 

Having an uncle in St. Louis county, 

Missouri, I went there, crossing the 

Mississippi River on the twenty-fi fth 

of October, at St. Louis. This place had 

about fi ve thousand inhabitants at that 

time. My uncle, and many more of the 

early settlers, were about leaving where 

they had settled, on account of Missouri 

becoming a slave state. 

He and several of his neighbors had, early 

in the Fall of this year, visited the Illinois 

River country, and made some selections 

for farms, about thirty miles from the 

mouth of the river, at a settlement now 

called Bluffdale. In order to hold the lands 

they had selected, they were obliged1

 to 

make some improvement on them, which, 

having done, they returned to Missouri.

About the fi rst of December, in company 

with my cousin, who was fi ve or six years 

my senior, with his wife and two children, 

we started for the Illinois River, where my 

uncle and his party had made their claims 

the Fall before. On arriving there, we 

found on one of the claims a log cabin, 

about fourteen feet square, about half 

built; it lacked a roof, a fl oor, and a door, 

which we soon added. 

About the year 1826, there was great 

excitement in regard to the lead mines of 

the upper Mississippi. In 1827 I thought 

I would try my luck one season at the 

mines. I passed Rock Island, on my way 

up the river, about the last of March, 

returning late in the summer. This practice 

of going up the river in the spring and 

coming down in the fall, was so generally 

observed by the fi rst settlers of Illinois, 

that they were called “Suckers.” 
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 189

In the fall of 1828, I removed2 to Morgan 

county, about twelve miles from 

Jacksonville, on the Beardstown road. 

Mr. Rinnah Wells, in passing from the 

mines to the southern part of the state, 

stopped with me over night. In the course 

of the evening he told me that the Indians 

had left their old village at Rock Island3

. 

Having seen the country along the Rock 

Island rapids, in passing to and from the 

mines, and being much pleased with it, 

in less than a week, accompanied4

 by 

Loudon Case, Sr. I was on my way to 

ascertain5

 if the Indians had left. 

When about ten miles from Rock River, 

we met a Mr. Prince, who had brought a 

load of corn from his farm near Peoria, to 

feed Judge Pence’s team, who was just 

then moving to the old Indian village at 

Rock River. We reached Rock River on the 

9th of December. The river seemed alive 

with ducks. I do not think I have ever seen 

as many at one time since. 

Getting on the track of Judge Pence’s 

wagons we crossed to the Big Island. 

Here we found Judge Pence looking for 

a place to ford, which we found about 

sundown, between the upper bridge and 

mill dam, on the main stream. 

Here we found several wigwams6

, and 

took shelter in a large one for the night. 

Early in the morning Judge Pence started 

out, and returned about breakfast time, 

saying he would not unload his wagon 

here, as he had found a better wigwam, 

which proved to be Black Hawk’s7

.

These wigwams are very much the 

shape of a New England barn, sixteen or 

eighteen feet wide, and from twenty to 

fi fty or sixty feet long. The largest were 

calculated for from two to four families. 

They were built by setting posts in the 

ground, and siding with bark from elm 

trees. This bark, cut about seven feet long, 

varied in width from two to four feet, 

according to the size of the tree taken 

from. They had rafters, and on these were 

laid small poles, upon the poles was 

placed the bark, making a roof that turned 

rain very well. These wigwams made a 

very comfortable Summer house. 

Their wigwams for Fall and Winter use 

were very different, being of fl ags woven 

into matting, which could be rolled up, 

and enough to cover a wigwam carried 

on one horse. They made a frame of small 

poles, one end sharpened and stuck in 

the ground, the other bent over so as to 

form a circle of ten or twelve feet. Then 

they placed the matting around and over 

the poles, leaving a small opening in 

the top for the smoke. A little fi re in the 

center would keep the wigwam warm. The 

Indians say “the white man makes a great 

fi re, and stands a great way off, the Indian 

makes a little fi re, and gets very near it.” 

On our arrival here we found no Indians, 

it being the season of the year when 

they were absent on their winter’s hunt. 

The settlers, as well as the offi cers of the 

garrison8

, thought they would not return.

Spencer, J. W. Reminiscences of Pioneer Life in the Mississippi Valley. 

Davenport:, IA: Griggs, Watson and Day, 1872.

1. required; 2. moved; 3. Sac Indian village; 4. in the company of; 5. to fi nd out; 6. dome-shaped Indian 

dwelling; 7. Sac Indian leader; 8. military post
190 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Illinois

This state proffers1 many inducements2

to those who are emigrating to the West.

There are 28,237,859 acres of public land 

in this state to which the Indian title has 

been extinguished3

, yet to be sold; and 

3,158,110 still belonging to the Indians, 

which will soon be in the market. For a 

treaty has very recently been proposed 

to the tribes in this state, by which they 

will probably sell their lands. The price 

of public land is $1.25 per acre. No credit 

is allowed.

Farms, considerably cultivated, may be 

purchased from the early settlers who 

desire to purchase government lands 

again, at prices varying from $2.50 to 

$8 per acre.

In no part of our country is it possible to 

convert an uncultivated piece of land into 

a good farm, sooner than in this state. 

Let an emigrant purchase, as he may 

do in thousands of places, a quarter of 

a section (160 acres) of land, or the half 

of it, or a section, if he is able, on the 

borders of a fertile prairie, so that one 

half of his purchase may be wood-land 

and the other half prairie, or whatever 

other proportion he chooses. And let 

him fence the larger part of his prairie 

land, and retain the wood-land to furnish 

timber, and in a short time he may have 

an excellent farm under cultivation. He 

may soon raise as many cattle, hogs, 

horses, etc. as he may desire, or has corn 

and hay to feed them with in the winter. 

And there need be no want of these 

things, if he has two or three hands to 

help him to cultivate his fi elds and mow 

his prairie. The prairie and woodland will 

afford range enough for his cattle, hogs, 

and horses in the spring, summer, fall, 

and early winter.

The larger prairies, which are sometimes 

several miles across, are like the lakes in 

New York and other parts of our country, 

public property; and all who live around 

their borders, have a common right to 

send as many cattle into them as they 

choose. The prairie, when turned into 

fi elds, is diffi cult, for two or three years, 

to subdue4

 completely. This is owing to 

View of the Valley of the Mississippi

by Robert Baird
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 191

the unyielding grassy sward5 with which 

they are covered; and to plough6

 which 

requires a strong team of horses or oxen.

The climate of Illinois is delightful, and 

unquestionably healthy. If emigrants 

will choose favourable situations, and 

be careful to have comfortable houses 

as soon as possible, and dress warmly 

when sudden changes from hot to cold 

weather are occurring, and not expose 

themselves to inclement7

 weather, they 

will have good health. The summers and 

autumns are generally dry and warm,—

more so than in the Atlantic states. 

The diseases which prevail are those 

which are common in the western states 

in the same parallels of latitude8

. Bilious 

fever9

, in its various types, is the most 

noted. By timely attention, it is generally 

a manageable disease. It is far from 

being the case that even emigrants from 

the East, generally have a seasoning10

of sickness before they become 

accustomed11 to the climate.

Taken as a whole, this state is one of 

great fertility of soil, and capable of 

sustaining a vast population. It has 

the fi nest situation of all the western 

states. It is suffi ciently remote from the 

mountains which bound each side of the 

Valley, to have a climate little affected by 

them. It has milder winters than those 

states which border the mountainous 

ranges. This is a country of vast and 

beautiful plains, with noble streams.

The eastern emigrant will fi nd warmhearted friends in every neighbourhood12

in this state. The people of the West 

have much plain and blunt, but sincere 

hospitality. And any emigrant who 

comes among them with a disposition13

to be pleased with the country and 

its inhabitants14,—to partake of their 

hospitality cheerfully,—to make no 

invidious15 comparisons,—to assume 

no airs of distinction16—and in a word, 

to feel at home in this region, where, of 

course, every thing is very different from 

what he has been accustomed to, will be 

truly welcome. 

Baird, Robert. View of the Valley of the Mississippi, or the Emigrant’s 

and Traveller’s Guide to the West. Containing a General Description of 

that Entire Country; and Also Notices of the Soil, Productions, Rivers, 

and Other Channels of Intercourse and Trade: and Likewise of the Cities 

and Towns, Progress of Education, and c., of Each State and Territory.

Philadelphia: H.S. Tanner, 1834.

1. offers

2. attractions

3. voided

4. conquer; bring under control

5. surface of land 

6. plow

7. stormy

8. distance from the equator

9. illness that includes fever and nausea or vomiting

10. period of time lasting for one season (spring, 

summer, autumn, and winter)

11. used to

12. British spelling of neighborhood

13. tendency, mood, or inclination 

14. people that live in a certain area

15. unpleasant or unkind

16. superior attitude 
Lesson 3.3

UNIT 3

192 | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 3.4

Do this

1. Invite a local historian to speak to the class 

for about an hour. 

2. Have the students brainstorm questions to ask 

the historian, like:

• Where did the fi rst settlers come from?

• When was the town settled?

• What year was the town offi cially founded (recorded in 

record book) and by whom?

• What part did the river play in the settlement of your town?

• What did the settlers learn from the local Indians?

Be sure to have the students write thank-you notes and 

send them to the historian. They should mention at least 

one thing they liked or learned during their time together.

Activity 2

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

What you’ll need

• Students complete 

activity 2 in preparation 

for activity 3

• Local historian

• Students to prepare 

questions

Get the Facts

 from the Expert

• 30 minutes to 

prepare questions

• 1 hour for the talk

• 15 minutes to write 

thank you notes

Teacher

 Tip
UNIT 3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | 193

Lesson 3.4

What you’ll need

• Access to the Internet 

and school library

• Wall map

• Trapper, Trader, 

Farmer, Sailor activity 

worksheets (pages 

194–197)

People

 on the Move

Trappers, Traders, Farmers, Sailors

Warm-up Discussion

Ask students to think about a place they might like to move to 

when they are older. Have students brainstorm a list of reasons 

why they think they would like to move there. Then discuss why 

they chose that location. What would be the downside of moving? 

Create a chart on the board and have them record the pros and 

cons of moving to a new location.

Do This

1. Small group activity: Assign each group ONE of the fi ve states 

along the upper Mississippi River.

2 Groups will research information on their assigned state and 

complete the Trapper, Trader, Farmer, Sailor table.

3. Individual activity: Write a letter to a family member living “back 

east” persuading them to come live with you. You may want to 

include a drawing showing the beauty of the area.

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

Activity 3

• 30 minute 

discussion to 

introduce activity

• 1 hour group 

session

• 1 hour to share 

fi ndings with class

Teacher

 Tip

Refer to Unit 1 and 

the comparison 

of cities in Lesson 1.4
194 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Trapper, Trader, Farmer, Sailor

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Research the resources and opportunities available to settlers in your assigned state.

Circle your region: Minnesota Wisconsin Illinois Iowa Missouri

1. Is this area better for a town site or a farm? Why?

2. What kinds of trades can be developed here?

Regional Analysis

Geographic Conditions Yes/No Notes

Access to water

Harbors

Natural resources

Fertile land

Growing season
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 195

3. What are the positive qualities of the area?

4. What are the negative qualities of the area?

5. Which natural resources were the most useful or helpful? Why?
196 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Trapper, Trader, Farmer, Sailor

Letter Assignment

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Try to persuade a family member from “back east” to join you in your new home. 

Write a friendly letter telling about life in your region of the Louisiana Territory and 

why your family member would love it here.

Be sure to include specifi c reasons from your research and why you like it here. You 

may want to include a drawing showing the beauty of the area.
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 197

Draw your homestead below
Extension Suggestions

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.4

 Career launch

Invite a local 

archeologist, 

anthropologist, or 

historian to speak 

to the class. Ask 

students to research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

• Visit your local historical 

society or library.

• Participate in a living 

history event.

• Plan a living history event 

at your school.

• Interview a person who 

migrated to the community 

and create a written report or 

oral presentation about their 

experience.

Express yourself!

• Write a “Guide for New 

Students” giving advice and 

recommendations about your 

school and community for 

students who have just moved 

to the area.

• Read a biography written by a 

settler in your state and write a 

letter to that person describing 

what you learned from reading 

about his or her life. 

Learn more online

Learn about worldwide human 

migrations from the National 

Geographic’s Interactive Atlas 

of the Human Journey 

(www.nationalgeographic.com)

Search keywords: atlas of 

human journey

Learn about river songs from 

PBS (www.pbs.org) 

Search keywords: river of song

Learn about the Black Hawk War 

from Northern Illinois University

(http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/). Click 

Enter and choose Black Hawk War.

Learn why the Mississippi 

River is called America’s First 

Interstate from the National 

Scenic Byways Program

(www.byways.org)

Search keywords: 

mississippi river

The American claim is by the right of our 

manifest destiny to overspread and to possess 

the whole of the continent which Providence 

has given us for the development of the great 

experiment of liberty and federative self-government 

entrusted to us. It is a right such as that of the 

tree to the space of air and earth suitable for the 

full expansion of its principle and destiny of growth.

– John O’Sullivan, a New Yorker and editor of the United 

States Magazine and Democratic Review, 1845

198 | 3.4 Rivers of Human Migration: Settlement ... and Trade | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

John O’Sullivan coined the term Manifest 

Destiny, which came to mean the belief that the 

United States was destined to expand across 

North America from the Atlantic to the Pacifi c.

In 1872 John Gast painted the symbolic image 

of westward expansion. Called “Spirit of the 

Frontier,” the painting shows settlers moving 

west. They are guided and protected by a 

goddess-like fi gure and aided by the new 

technologies, the telegraph and the railroad. 

Native Americans are shown being pushed 

aside to make room for the setters.
Lesson 3.4

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.5

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom | 199

Mississippi 

River:

Pathway to Freedom

Introduction

In Lesson 3.5, students learn about the Underground 

Railroad and the efforts of abolitionists to free slaves. With 

groups of other students they plan routes of escape after 

researching safe house locations along the Mississippi River. 

Background

The Underground Railroad was not an actual railroad or even 

a particular route to freedom. Instead, it was a codeword for 

a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves 

escape to northern United States and 

Canada, south to Mexico, or overseas. 

It was made up of many individuals, 

some whites but mostly black, who 

knew only of the local efforts to aid 

fugitives and not of the overall 

operation. It effectively moved 

hundreds of slaves northward 

each year— according to one 

estimate, the South lost 100,000 slaves 

between 1810 and 1850.

 Unit 3 goal

Learn how communities 

and cultures develop

to form civilizations

 Lesson goal

Learn the role of the 

Mississippi River in the 

Underground Railroad

 Lesson objectives

• Learn about key people 

in the Abolitionist 

Movement and the 

Underground Railroad

• Discover the routes of the 

Underground Railroad

• Become a railroad “rider”

 Educational standards

• Social Science

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Internet and library access

• Laminated wall map

• Journal for escape narrative

• Presentation materials

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 

Two 60 minute sessions

• Activity 1: 

Two 60 minute sessions

 What’s next!

Unit 4: The River at Work

This lesson uses language arts to explore 

state, regional, and national history. It 

addresses several key social science 

standards, especially geography and 

history, focusing on slavery during the 

era of expansion and reform. Students 

read for perspective and multicultural 

understanding and apply language skills.
Need to Know

• Slavery: System in which people are the 

property of others and can be bought 

and sold.

• Underground Railroad: Informal network 

of secret routes and safe houses used by 

19th-century African-American slaves in the 

United States to escape to free states and 

Canada with the aid of abolitionists who 

were sympathetic to their cause. The term 

was coined sometime in the 1830s. Members 

of the Underground Railroad often used 

specifi c jargon, based on the metaphor of the 

railway. For example:

– People who helped slaves fi nd the railroad 

were “agents” (or “shepherds”).

– Guides were known as “conductors”.

– Hiding places were “stations”.

– Abolitionists would fi x the “tracks”.

– “Stationmasters” hid slaves in their homes.

– Escaped slaves were referred to as 

“passengers” or “cargo”.

– Slaves would obtain a “ticket”.

– Just as in common gospel lore, the 

“wheels would keep on turning”.

– Financial benefactors of the Railroad were 

known as “stockholders.”

• Safe houses: A place that provides a safe 

haven. Locations of safe houses are kept 

secret from all but a limited number of people, 

for the safety of those hidden within them.

• Abolitionist: One who works toward the 

termination of slavery in the United States.

• Abolitionism: Movement to end the slave 

trade and set slaves free.

• Spirituals: Religious songs which were 

created by African-American slaves. Some 

people believe they were coded with 

information to help slaves escape.

• Fugitive slave: One who fl ees; a runaway.

• Free states: States that had prohibited the 

institution of slavery (as of 1836): Indiana, 

Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, 

Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, 

New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 

Vermont, Maine.

• Slave states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, 

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, 

Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, 

Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and 

Maryland. Slavery was also legal in the 

District of Columbia.

• Freed slave: A free African American who 

had purchased freedom or was freed by his 

or her owner.

• Free negro: A person born to a free AfricanAmerican woman (the rights of the child 

was determined by the rights of the mother); 

rights restricted by laws intended for slaves.

UNIT 3

200 | 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 3.5

The system grew, and around 1831 it was dubbed 

“The Underground Railroad,” after the then-emerging 

steam railroads. The system even used terms used 

in railroading: the homes and businesses where 

fugitives would rest and eat were called “stations” and 

“depots” and were run by “stationmasters,” those who 

contributed money or goods were “stockholders,” and 

the “conductor” was responsible for moving fugitives 

from one station to the next.

Sources: Friends of the Underground Railroad, Indiana University, Library of Congress, National 

Geographic, National Park Service, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, PBS (Public 

Broadcasting Service). 
UNIT 3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom | 201

Lesson 3.5

Reverend Robert T. Hickman

Born a slave in Missouri in 1831, Robert T. Hickman 

was allowed by his master to learn to read and 

write and became a slave preacher. In 1863, he

led a group of more than 50 fellow slaves to 

freedom. With the help of the Underground 

Railroad, they fl ed up the Mississippi River to St. 

Paul, Minnesota. Accounts of their escape vary, 

but they reportedly began their journey on a 

raft they built in secret and were later smuggled 

aboard the steamboat War Eagle. Hickman founded 

Pilgrim Baptist Church in St. Paul in 1866. Modern 

songwriter Charlie Maguire composed a song 

about Rev. Hickman. 

Frederick Douglass

Born a slave in Maryland circa 1818, 

Frederick Douglass learned to read on his 

own from white children and by observing 

the writings of the white men that he 

worked for. He then taught other slaves to 

read. He escaped to New York in 1838 and 

became a minister, author, and reformer 

and gave speeches around the country. 

In 1852, he was asked to speak at an 

event commemorating the signing of the 

Declaration of Independence.

What, to the American slave, is 

your 4th of July? I answer; a day that 

reveals to him, more than all other days 

in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant 

victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an 

unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds 

of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass 

fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; 

your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, with all 

your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, 

deception, impiety, and hypocrisy. —Frederick Douglass
T

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.5

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was born a slave in Maryland 

in 1820 or 1821. She became one of the most 

well known of all the Underground Railroad’s 

“conductors,” who, in her words, “never lost a 

single passenger.” 

As a child in Maryland, Tubman was beaten 

and whipped by her various masters. She 

escaped to Philadelphia in 1849. Less than 

a year after gaining her freedom, Tubman 

risked capture by returning to Maryland 

several times to rescue her family one group 

at a time. In ten years, she made 19 trips 

into the South and escorted dozens, perhaps 

hundreds, of slaves to freedom.

When the American Civil War began, Tubman 

worked for the Union Army, fi rst as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed 

scout and spy. After the Civil War, she helped the struggle for women’s suffrage. 

She died in 1913.

I had crossed the line of which I had so long been dreaming. I was 

free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom, 

I was a stranger in a strange land, and my home after all was down in 

the old cabin quarter, with the old folks, and my brothers and sisters. 

But to this solemn resolution I came; I was free, and they should be 

free also; I would make a home for them in the North, and the Lord 

helping me, I would bring them all there. – Harriet Tubman, quoted 

[without dialect] in Harriet,

The Moses of Her People (1886) 

by Sarah H. Bradford

202| 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom| Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Harriet Tubman helped 

abolitionist John Brown 

recruit men for the raid on 

the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, 

West Virginia, on Oct. 16, 

1859. John Brown and his 

21 men, who included freed 

and fugitive slaves, wanted 

weapons to begin a slave 

uprising in the South. 

T
WI

MI

MO

IA

IL

MN

TX

AR

LA

Free state

Slave-holding state

Major routes of escape

AL MS

TN

KY

IN

OH

WV

PA

NY 0 200

Miles

8

9

7

12

10 11

20 21 23

25

26

27

22

15

16 17

18 19

24

13

14

1

2

3

4

5

6

NY 0 200

UNIT 3

Lesson 3.5

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom | 203

For many escaped slaves 

on the Underground Railroad, 

the Mississippi River and its tributaries were the main route 

to freedom and a new life. Major rivers provided a natural 

route to freedom, helping runaway slaves fi nd direction, take 

cover, and evade bounty hunters and slave catchers.

Most escapes were by individuals and small groups. Although 

fugitives sometimes traveled on real railways, the primary 

means of transportation were on foot or by wagon. They 

traveled by night and hid in swamps and abandoned fi elds 

during the day. If they were lucky, they would fi nd a “station” 

or safe house where “agents” would hide them and provide 

them with food, shelter, and information along their journey. 

Although safe houses and Underground Railroad operatives 

were located in both the North and the South, most were 

located along the borders between free and slave states. 

The Ohio River, one of the tributaries of the Mississippi 

River, formed the border between free and slave states, and 

therefore was a major Underground Railroad route. 

Underground Railroad

Safe Houses

Iowa

1. Todd House, Tabor

2. George B. Hitchcock House, Lewis

3. Jordan House, West Des Moines

4. Henderson Lewelling House, Salem

IIllinois

5. Dr. Richard Eells House, Quincy

6. Dr. Brown House, Alton

7. Owen Lovejoy House, Princeton

8. John Hossack House, Ottawa

Wisconsin

9. Milton House, Milton

Michigan

10. Dr. Nathan Thomas House,

Schoolcraft

11. Second Baptist Church, Detroit

Indiana

12. Bethel AME Church, Indianapolis

13. Levi Coffi n House, Fountain City

14. Eleutherian College, Lancaster

Ohio

15. James and Sophia Clemens

Farmstead, Greenville

16. Harriet Beecher Stowe House,

Cincinnati

17. Samuel and Sally Wilson House,

Cincinnati

18. John P. Parker House, Ripley

19. John Rankin House, Ripley

20. Rush R. Sloane House, Sandusky

21. Wilson Bruce Evans House, Oberlin

22. Reuben Benedict House, Marengo

23. Spring Hill, Massillon 

24. Putnam settlement, Zanesville

25. Col. William Hubbard House, 

Ashtabula

26. Daniel Howell Hise House, Salem

27. Village of Mt. Pleasant Historic 

District, Mt. Pleasant

T
UNIT 3

Discussion (60-90 minutes)

Begin the discussion by asking students 

to defi ne what it means to be free. Then 

ask them to imagine what it would be 

like to be “owned” by another person.

Explain that runaway slaves often used 

rivers to fi nd their way to freedom, 

including the Mississippi River and its 

tributaries, the Illinois and Ohio rivers. 

Ask students to think about how they 

would fi nd their way north if they did 

not have a map. How would landscape 

features like rivers help them? 

Introduce key concepts and vocabulary 

and explain that the Underground 

Railroad was not underground. Because 

escaping slaves and the people who 

helped them were technically breaking 

the law, they had to stay out of sight. 

They went “underground” in terms of 

concealing their actions.

Many clever and creative ideas helped 

slaves during their escape. When 

abolitionist John Fairfi eld needed 

to sneak 28 slaves over the roads 

near Cincinnati, he hired a hearse 

and disguised the group as a funeral 

procession. Henry “Box” Brown, a slave, 

had himself shipped from Richmond to 

Philadelphia in a box.

Lesson 3.5

204 | 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

A reward poster for 

runaway slaves from 1847

A page 

from the 

Anti-Slavery 

Almanac

 An estimated 100,000 African Americans escaped 

slavery between 1800 and 1860 using the

Underground Railroad.

 Fugitive slave laws were passed by the United 

States Congress in 1793 and 1850 to provide for 

the return of slaves who escaped from one state 

into another or into a public territory.

 Slaves fl ed north to Canada and U.S. free states,

south through Florida to the Caribbean Islands, 

and West through Texas to Mexico.

 Men in their early 20s were the most frequent

travelers on the Underground Railroad.

 Fugitive slaves most often found help within the

free black and Quaker communities.
UNIT 3

Lesson 3.5

Go

 Underground

Do This

Step 1: Get Ready 

1. Use the laminated wall map to draw a line between slave and 

free states.

2. Discuss and highlight major Underground Railroad routes.

3. Have students research underground railroad routes and safe 

house locations along the Mississippi River. 

• If students need help fi nding safe houses, direct them to the 

list of safe houses by state on the National Park Service’s 

website. Go to www.nps.gov and search for “safe houses.”

4. Plot the safe houses on the wall map.

5. Organize students in groups and assign them a slave state 

along the Mississippi River to escape from: Missouri, Arkansas, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, or Kentucky.

Step 2: Go Underground

1. Have students plan their route to Canada and plot it

on their maps. 

• Record their journey in a journal.

• Present their journey to the class or act it out as a play.

Other waterways, especially the Ohio River, were also major 

Underground Railroad routes, depending on where a slave 

started. Consider assigning groups a specifi c place along the 

Mississippi River as a starting point if you want them to use 

it as their main route.

Activity 1

What you’ll need

• Access to the Internet 

and school library

• Laminated wall map

• Blank map from 

lesson 1.4 (page 51) 

• Activity worksheets 

(pages 206-207)

Get Ready: 60 minutes 

Go Underground: 

60 minutes

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom | 205

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

Teacher

 Tip
206 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Go Underground

Plan your escape route to Canada

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Starting place (circle one):

Arkansas Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Tennessee

1. Pretend you and your classmates are a group of slaves escaping to free states in 

the north or Canada. How would you get there? What route would you take? Where 

would you sleep and eat?

2. Search for sources about the Underground Railroad at the library and online and 

plan your route on the map. Be sure to note where safe houses are located.

Plot your route on the map.

WI

MI

MO

IA

IL

MN

TX

AR

LA AL MS

TN

KY

IN

OH

WV

PA

NY

Major routes of escape

Free state

Slave-holding states

0 200

Miles
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 207

3. Imagine what it would be like to take the journey and write a narrative describing it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Draw a place you might pass or stay at along the way.

5. Present your journey to the class or act it out as a play.
208 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Fact or Fiction?

Name _______________________________________ Date _____________

Read, analyze, and hypothesize

Many people have long believed that African-American spirituals 

(religious songs created by slaves) were coded with instructions 

to be used to guide slaves on the Underground Railroad. Others, 

however, have recently disputed that claim, saying there is no 

historic evidence to support it. 

What do YOU think? Read and decide for yourself. Write an essay 

supporting your position.

Evidence to Ponder:

One famous Underground Railroad song is 

“Follow the Drinking Gourd”:

Verse 1

When the Sun comes back

And the fi rst quail calls

Follow the Drinking Gourd.

For the old man is a-waiting for

to carry you to freedom

If you follow the Drinking Gourd.

Verse 2

The riverbank makes a very good road.

The dead trees will show you the way.

Left foot, peg foot, traveling on,

Follow the Drinking Gourd.

Verse 3

The river ends between two hills

Follow the Drinking Gourd.

There’s another river on the other side

Follow the Drinking Gourd.

VERSE 4

When the great big river meets the little river

Follow the Drinking Gourd.

For the old man is a-waiting for

to carry you to freedom

If you follow the Drinking Gourd.

Many versions of this song exist, but the fi rst 

one was published by H.B. Parks in 1928. The 

publication date is used by some historians 

to prove that it could not have been used as 

a coded song for the Underground Railroad, 

because it was written so long after the fact. 

Others disagree and say that the song was 

passed down orally for decades before H.B. 

Parks wrote it down, and that there is enough 

documentation to show that these codes and 

signals were actually used at the time.

According to those that believe the song was 

used as a code, the drinking gourd is a reference 

to hollowed-out gourds used by slaves and other 

rural Americans as a water dipper. It is a code 

name for the Big Dipper star formation, which 

appears in the North Sky.

Verse 1 suggests escaping in the spring (when 

the sun comes back and the quail calls during 

spring breeding season) and heading North to 

freedom.

The term “old man” is nautical slang for 

“Captain.” According to Parks, “peg foot” in Verse 

2 refers to an Underground Railroad operative 

named Peg Leg Joe, who was formerly a sailor. 

Verse 3 gives directions to rivers that lead to the 

Mississippi River. 

Verse 4 refers to where the Ohio runs into the 

Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois. Here runaways 

would be met on the banks of the Ohio by the old 

sailor or other Underground Railroad conductor. 

Read Below
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 209

Article 1: In Support of Coded 

Underground Railroad Songs

Songs of freedom

City of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada Website

The seemingly innocent 

spirituals, as the slave songs 

came to be known, were 

more than simple hymns of 

endurance and a belief in a 

better afterlife. As sung by 

slaves and their descendants, 

the spirituals allowed the 

slaves to communicate secret 

messages and information 

to each other about the 

Underground Railroad.

The spirituals and their lyrics 

were part of a sophisticated system that involved 

no incriminating evidence for plantation owners 

or overseers to fi nd. Codes imbedded in the 

spirituals instructed slaves as to when, how and 

where to escape. They also included warning 

signals, such as the message of “Wade in the 

Water,” informing slaves to travel along the 

riverbank so the dogs giving chase would be 

thrown off their scent.

Most slaves could not read or write; in fact, it 

was against the law to teach slaves to read or 

write. The spirituals provided a means of verbal, 

coded communication understood only by those 

in the Underground Railroad. Outsiders generally 

interpreted the spirituals on a literal level, while 

slaves knew the meaning of the messages 

hidden within the words and phrases. Through 

the words, the refrains, the “call and response” 

method of singing, and the rhythmic sounds 

produced by dancing feet, slaves could decipher 

these hidden meanings.

Songs were a part of the slaves’ daily lives and 

were a survival tactic as well as a means of 

coded communication. Field slaves sang while 

they worked so the plantation overseer knew 

where they were, and could make sure that they 

were working.

Article 2: Disputes Coded 

Underground Railroad Songs

History’s tangled threads

By Fergus M. Bordewich

New York Times, February 2, 2007

Few aspects of the American past have 

inspired more colorful mythology than the 

Underground Railroad. It’s probably fair to 

say that most Americans view it as a thrilling 

tapestry of midnight fl ights, hairbreadth escapes, 

mysterious codes and strange hiding places.

Popular songs associated with the underground 

rarely withstand scrutiny, either. Recent research 

has revealed that the inspirational ballad ‘’Follow 

the Drinking Gourd’’—perhaps the single bestknown ‘’artifact’’ of the Underground Railroad—

was fi rst published in 1928, and that much of the 

text and music as we know it today was actually 

composed by Lee Hays of the Weavers in 1947. 

Nor do its ‘’directions’’ conform to any known 

underground route.

Such fi ctions rely for their plausibility on the 

premise that the operations of the Underground 

Railroad were so secret that the truth is 

essentially unknowable. In fact, there is abundant 

documentation of the underground’s activities to 

be found in antebellum antislavery newspapers, 

narratives of escape written by former slaves, 

and the recollections of participants recorded 

after the Civil War, when there was no longer 

danger of reprisal. 

Most successful fugitives were enterprising 

and well informed. The vast majority had little 

need for coded maps, since they came from 

the border states of Maryland, Virginia, and 

Kentucky, just a few days’ or hours’ walk from 

the nearest free state.

The Underground Railroad provided shelter, 

transportation, and guides, but through most of 

the North its work was hardly secret. Abolitionist 

newspapers reported news of fugitives in 

detail—their passage through town, the names 

of people who’d assisted them. In some places, 

activists distributed handbills announcing 

what they were doing and how many fugitives 

they had helped. Jermain Loguen, the AfricanAmerican leader of the underground in Syracuse, 

advertised his address in local newspapers as an 

aid to freedom-seekers.
210 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

The larger importance of the Underground 

Railroad lies not in fanciful legends, but in the 

diverse history of the men and women, black 

and white, who made it work and in the farreaching political and moral consequences of 

what they did. The Underground Railroad was 

the nation’s fi rst great movement of mass civil 

disobedience after the American Revolution, 

engaging thousands of citizens in the active 

subversion of federal law, as well as the fi rst 

mass movement that asserted the principle 

of personal responsibility for others’ human 

rights. It was also the nation’s fi rst interracial 

political movement, which from its beginning in 

the 1790s joined free blacks, abolitionist whites 

and sometimes slaves in a collaboration that 

shattered racial taboos.

Fergus M. Bordewich is the author of Bound for Canaan: 

The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America.

Bordewich, Fergus M. “History’s Tangled Threads.” New York Times.

2 February 2007. Op-Ed. 

Further Evidence to Ponder:

Here’s another song that some historians believe 

contained coded messages to guide escaped 

slaves to freedom in the North.

“Go Down Moses” is a spiritual song that 

describes events in the Old Testament of the 

Bible. The fi rst written mention of this song 

occurred in 1861, the year the Civil War started.

When Israel was in Egypt’s land

Let my people go

Oppressed so hard they could not stand

Let my people go

Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land

Tell old Pharaoh, Let my people go

So Moses went to Egypt’s land

Let my people go

To make old Pharaoh understand

Let my people go

Thus spake the Lord, bold Moses said,

“Let my people go,

If not, I’ll strike your fi rst born dead

“Let my people go”

In the song “Israel” represents the AfricanAmerican slaves while “Egypt” and “Pharaoh” 

represent the slavemaster.
Extension Suggestions

Upper Grade Level Activity

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

E

UNIT 3

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 3.5 Mississippi River: Pathway to Freedom | 211

Lesson 3.5

 Career launch

Invite a local 

professor of 

African American 

studies or NAACP 

representative to speak 

to the class. Ask students to research 

the fi eld and prepare questions in 

advance. See A1: Career Launch on 

page 312 for career information and 

professional associations.

Express yourself!

• Learn a Spiritual song and 

perform it for other classes. 

Search online for “underground 

railroad songs,” “antislavery 

songs,” or “spirituals” to 

fi nd your own or go to 

www.osblackhistory.com and 

click on “spirituals.”

• Read a slave narrative and write 

a one-act play based on the 

story. Perform the play for 

your class.

Get out!

Travel to one of the Underground 

Railroad sites listed by states on 

the National Park Service website. 

Go to www.nps.gov and search 

for “safe houses.”

Use the Fact or Fiction extension exercise starting 

on page 208 to help students realize that the study 

of history is not a static fi eld. New information is 

discovered and established ideas are challenged 

regularly. By reading two accounts from reputable 

sources that disagree about the use of coded songs 

on the Underground Railroad, students learn that 

historians can sometimes disagree and it is up 

to the individual to decide what to believe after 

carefully considering the available evidence.

Grades

7–12

Individual activity

WRITING EXTENSION

Learn more online

Visit the National Underground 

Railroad Freedom Center

(www.freedomcenter.org)

Learn more about the 

Underground Railroad from the 

City College of New York 

(www1.ccny.cuny.edu) 

Search keywords: underground 

railroad experience

Get more details from the

National Geographic

(www.nationalgeographic.com) 

and the National Park Service 

(www.nps.gov)

Search keywords: Underground 

Railroad

Harriet Beecher Stowe was an author and 

an abolitionist. Her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin

described the horrors suffered by African 

Americans during slavery. Her infl uential book 

was considered an agent of social change.
212 | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Unit 4

Mississippi River 

at Work

Unit 4: Mississippi River at Work builds on the knowledge and skills 

learned in Units 1, 2, and 3 to explore how humans rely on the river 

for more than just sustenance (food and water). This unit introduces 

students to human uses, beliefs, and values of the river and focuses 

on the river as a vital lifeline for human commerce and migration 

in the past, present, and future. The virtual river trip activity is used 

throughout this unit along with the wall map.

Having learned about how people used the river for transportation and 

trade in the past in Unit 3, students compare and contrast those uses 

with how people use the river today, including recreation and tourism. 

This helps prepare students for the activities in Unit 5.
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | 213

4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work: 

Pre- and Post-Assessments

Students research river-related occupations and gain an understanding 

of the many different industries that use the Mississippi River. They read 

biographies of workers and interview people about their current jobs 

and career paths.

4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People

Explore what river navigation was like before the Steam Age. Students 

learn about different types of boats and understand the skill and 

strength needed to maneuver them up and down the river. They make a 

fl atboat and imagine life on the river before the Age of Steam.

4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: 

Steam Powers a New Economy

Learn how the steamboat changed travel and commerce on the river 

and mark the twain with Samuel Clemens. Experiment with the 

power of steam and understand how it revolutionized travel on the 

Mississippi River. 

4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: 

Major Floods on the Upper Mississippi River

Explore the changeable Upper Mississippi River as it alternates between 

fl ooding and drought. Students write their own newscast to inform their 

communities of the reasons for fl oods and droughts and what they can do 

to live in harmony with the Upper Mississippi River.

4.4 Controlling the River: 

Locks and Dams on the Upper Mississippi

Analyze how locks and dams made the Upper Mississippi River the 

ultimate travel corridor by creating your own lock system and playing 

the role of lockmaster.

4.5 To Market! To Market! Our Inland Waterway System

Explore the role of the Mississippi River as part of the Inland Waterway 

system and its role as a vital economic artery. Students read a navigation 

chart and plan a journey from the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence 

Seaway to the Gulf of Mexico.
This barge captain is piloting 

a tow down the Mississippi River 

near Hannibal, Missouri.

214 | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 4

Introduction

Students research river-related occupations on the 

Mississippi River and gain an understanding of the 

many industries that rely on the Mississippi River. They 

read biographies of workers and interview people about 

their current jobs and career paths.

Introduction to the 

Mississippi River

at Work

Unit 4 goal

Explore the Mississippi River 

at work and how it has changed 

over time 

Lesson goal

Research river-related occupations 

on the Mississippi River

Lesson objectives

• Introduce the Mississippi 

River at work

• Identify river occupations

• Discuss the river’s role in 

these occupations 

• Write about an occupation 

of your choosing

Educational standards

• Social Sciences

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

What you’ll need

• Confl uence: The River Heritage 

of St. Louis video

How long it will take

• Activity 1: 15 min.

• Activity 2: 2 hrs.

What’s next!

Go back in time and learn 

about early navigation on 

the river

Most of the activities and discussions in Unit 4 

relate to social studies and language arts standards. 

Students continue to develop their research skills by 

learning about river–related occupations and then 

practice their communication skills by writing about 

the job they fi nd most interesting.

M t f the a ti itie and di i n in Unit 4 Most of the activities and discussions in Unit 4
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | 215

UNIT 4

Activity 1 Introduction 4.0

Pre- and Post- 

 Assessment

Instructions

1. Copy and distribute the Pre- and Post-Assessment activity 

worksheet on the following pages.

2. Allow 15 minutes for students to complete the assessment. 

3. Save the pre-assessments to compare with a post-assessment 

given after students complete all the lessons in this unit using 

this same activity worksheet. 

4. Calculate each student’s percent increase in knowledge. 

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet 

(page 216–217)

Multiple choice

1. B 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. D 6. C 7. D 8. C 9. B 10. False

(VERSE)

I hear dat bell a-ringing, 

I see de Captain stand, 

Boat done blow’d her whistle, 

I know she’s gwine to land. 

I hear de mate a callin’, 

“Go git out the plank, 

Rush out wid de headline, 

An’ tie her to de bank.”

(CHORUS)

Roll out! heave dat cotton 

Roll out! heave dat cotton 

Roll out! heave dat cotton, 

ain’t got long to stay.

(VERSE)

It’s early in de morning, 

Before we see de sun, 

“Roll aboard dat cotton, 

An’ get back in a run.” 

De Captain’s in a hurry, 

I know what he means, 

Wants to beat de Sherlock, 

Down to New Orleans.

(CHORUS)

(VERSE)

I heard dat mate a-shouting, 

An’ see him on de shore, 

“Hurry boys! be lively, 

Ain’t but fi fty more.” 

We ain’t got time to tarry, 

Here at dis cotton pile, 

We gwine to git annoder, 

Below here forty miles.

–William Shakespeare Hays 

(1837 – 1907), American poet 

and lyricist

Work Songs

Work songs were sung 

while conducting a task to 

direct physical labor and 

synchronize the timing.

Answer Key
216 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Unit 4 Assessment

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Multiple choice

Circle the correct answer. 

1. Who invented the steamboat?

a. Mark Twain

b. John Fitch

c. Daniel Grayson

d. Zebulon Pike

2. How many cords of wood per day did the average steamboat use in the 1880s?

a. 15-75 cords of wood a day (enough to build 15 houses) 

b. 5-10 cords of wood a day (enough to build 5 houses) 

c. 100-125 cords of wood a day (enough to build 20 houses)

d. 130-150 cords of wood a day (enough to build 25 houses)

3. The fi rst lock was built to deal with:

a. fl oods

b. sediment 

c. rapids

d. fi sh

4. Besides being a writer, Mark Twain was also a:

a. lock builder

b. steamboat captain

c. railroad engineer

d. river guide

5. One 15-barge tow carrying dry goods on the river can replace:

a. 2 trucks or 1 rail car

b. 35 trucks or 8 rail cars

c. 70 trucks or 16 rail cars

d. 870 trucks or 225 rail cars
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 217

6. 9-foot channel:

a. Minimum distance required between barges 

b. A subspecies of the channel catfi sh

c. Depth of the river needed for barges to navigate the river

d. Length of a channel boat

7. Which of these industries utilize the Mississippi River?

a. Agriculture

b. Transportation

c. Tourism 

d. All of the above

8. What percentage of grain exported in the United States is shipped via the 

Mississippi River?

a. 20%

b. 40%

c. 60%

d. 80%

9. Approximately how many tons of goods were shipped via the Mississippi 

River in 2005?

a. 100 million tons

b. 500 million tons

c. 750 million tons

d. 250 million tons

10. There are 14 locks on the Mississippi River.

a. True

b. False
UNIT 4

Introduction 4.0

218 | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Background

No river has played a greater part in the 

development and expansion of America 

than the Mississippi. Our nation’s chief 

navigable water route, it was – and still 

is – a vital factor in the physical and 

economic growth of this country. It is a 

place where people live, work, and play.

The Mississippi River Watershed 

includes some of our nation’s most 

productive agricultural and industrial 

regions. Agriculture has been the 

primary user of the lands in the 

Mississippi River Watershed, continually 

altering the hydrologic cycle and 

energy budget of the region. 

Barges and towboats on the 

Mississippi River System carry 60% 

of the agricultural goods, industrial 

products, and raw materials transported 

on inland waterways.

Because of the Upper Mississippi River’s 

slow current and relative depth, a series 

of locks and dams were built on the 

river in the 19th and 20th centuries to 

facilitate navigation for a steady stream 

of barge traffi c. Most of the Mississippi 

River’s big tributaries – the Missouri, 

Illinois, and Ohio Rivers – have also 

been developed for navigation. 

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

A ranger at work
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | 219

Introduction 4.0

 Nearly 500 U.S. grain transfer 

facilities are served by water 

transportation with the largest 

number, over 140 facilities, 

located on the Upper Mississippi 

River and the Illinois Waterway. 

 Mississippi River Basin produces 

92% of the nation’s agricultural 

exports, 78% of the world’s 

exports in feed grains and 

soybeans, and most of the 

livestock and hogs produced 

nationally. 

 At least 40% of all North 

American migratory waterfowl 

depend on the Mississippi River 

Flyway during their spring and 

fall migrations.

 About 60% of all grain exported 

from the U.S. is shipped via the 

Mississippi River through the Port 

of New Orleans and the Port of 

South Louisiana. 

 The Port of South Louisiana 

which stretches 54 miles along 

the Mississippi River is the largest 

tonnage port in the United States. 

It is comprised of facilities in St. 

Charles, St. John the Baptist, 

and St. James Parishes. Primary 

outbound cargoes include corn, 

animal feed, wheat, and soybean. 

(2009 information)

 Products shipped (partial list):

• petroleum and petroleum 

products 

• iron and steel 

• grain including wheat, corn, 

and soybean

• rubber

• paper and wood

• coffee

• coal

• chemicals

Commercial 

fi shermen at work

A farmer at work

A forester at work
UNIT 4

220 | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction 4.0

Discussion (60–90 minutes)

Let’s explore the river at work!

To spark student interest, watch the 

dynamic opening scene of the video 

Confl uence: The River Heritage of St. 

Louis, which shows a variety of people 

working and recreating on the river. 

Tell students that the Mississippi River 

is a working river and ask them what 

they think that means. Does the river 

have a job? Does the river earn money? 

Or does the river help us earn money 

by transporting our goods to market? 

Perhaps by providing us river jobs, like 

boat captain or river guide? Ask students 

what their parents do for a living. Do 

their occupations relate to the river?

Have students take 15 minutes to write 

down all the types of occupations 

they can think of that relate to the 

Mississippi River without using the 

Internet or books. Remind students 

that the Mississippi River Watershed 

encompasses 31 states (see Unit 1), so 

they should broaden their focus beyond 

jobs along the riverbank. 

Career 

Launch

Careers and occupations related to

the Mississippi River Watershed 

• Agriculture: corn, wheat, rice, soybeans, 

chicken, hogs, beef and dairy cattle

• Biologists: fi sh and wildlife

• Forestry: logging, paper products

• Commercial fi shing: operators, construction 

folks, facility engineers

• Commercial watercraft: captains and crew

• Conservation: public education, habitat 

protection and restoration

• Dock operators and crew

• Ecosystem monitoring

• Energy production and distribution

• Engineering

• Habitat restoration

• Lock and dam: facility operators, construction 

workers, engineers

• Manufacturing: food processing, machinery, 

transportation equipment, and chemicals

• Merchant mariners: operate and maintain 

tugboats, dredges, towboats, ferries, 

merchant ships, excursion vessels

• Mining: crushed stone, coal, sand and gravel, 

cement, and lime production

• Recreation and tourism: restaurants and 

hotels, river guides, recreation equipment, 

visitor centers, lifeguards

• Park rangers

• Wildlife managers

Introdu

Produced and directed by 

Professor James Scott at St. 

Louis University, Confl uence: 

The River Heritage of St. Louis 

is available for purchase from 

the National Great Rivers 

Museum gift shop and online 

at www.booksonstlouis.com. 
UNIT 4

Introduction 4.0

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | 221

Mississippi River

Watershed Occupations

Get Ready

Ask students to:

• Read the statements by six people who work on the river.

• Brainstorm other river-related occupations and write down as 

many occupations related to the river as they can.

Do This

1. Conduct the class discussion described above and write student 

responses on the board.

2. Select several occupations and ask:

• What role does the river play with these occupations? 

(i.e., water for farming, transportation for logs, etc.)

• How have these occupations changed in the last 100 years?

3. Have the students choose which job sounds the most 

interesting.

4. Have the students write to someone with that job to ask 

questions about their career and day-to-day job.

• Using that information, have students prepare a report about 

that occupation. The report should include visuals such 

as charts and graphs.

• Have students create a PowerPoint presentation and 

show it to the class. 

What you’ll need

• Working on the 

Mississippi Activity 

worksheets 

(pages 222-225)

Grades

5–6

Activity 2 

 • 45 minutes to read 

and prepare lists

• 45 minutes to share 

and discuss

• 30 minutes to start 

essay (fi nish as 

homework) 

Individual activity

Refer to Career Launch section on the previous page 

and A1: Career Launch on page 312 to familiarize yourself 

with the different occupations related to the Mississippi 

River Watershed.

Teacher

 Tip
222 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Working on the 

Mississippi River

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Meet some of the people who have river-related careers and read about their jobs. 

Choose which job sounds the most interesting to you and research that occupation. 

Based on your research, brainstorm at least three questions you would like to ask. 

As a class, send one letter to that person requesting additional information. 

Read Below

The Sierra Club is a non-profi t, membersupported, public interest organization that 

seeks to practice and promote the responsible 

use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources and 

to educate and enlist humanity to protect and 

restore the quality of the natural and human 

environment.

As the Three Rivers Project Coordinator, 

Christine Favilla helps to protect the region’s 

big rivers, valuable wetlands, and tributaries. 

She reviews and comments on permits for 

development or the release of pollutants in 

the waterways. She is also active on several 

committees that work with landowners and 

government agencies to reach sustainable goals 

in their planning efforts.

“ My vision for the upper Mississippi 

River is one that moves us from 

managing the river solely for our 

benefi t to managing ourselves within 

the capacity of the river system. This 

strong sustainability goal includes a 

movement to local economies and 

local agriculture, resulting in less 

nutrient pollution, a smaller carbon 

footprint, and stronger communities. 

Working together, we can have 

healthier rivers, healthy economies, 

and healthier communities.” 

-Christine Favilla

Christine Favilla

Three Rivers Project 

Coordinator

Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter

223 Market Street 

Alton, IL 62002

illinois.sierraclub.org
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 223

Paul Rohde

Vice President

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI)

225 South Meramec Avenue, 

Suite 305

Saint Louis, MO 63105

www.waterwayscouncil.org

June M. Jeffries, Professional Engineer, is the 

Chief of the Environmental Engineering Section 

at the St. Louis District, US Army Corps of 

Engineers. Her responsibilities include water 

quality, environmental services and lab analyses, 

industrial hygiene, HTRW (hazardous, toxic, or 

radioactive waste) activities, sanitary engineering.

She was formerly the project manager for the 

St. Louis District dike and revetment program 

and regulating works projects, which provided 

safe and dependable navigation channels on the 

Mississippi River, Kaskaskia River, and Illinois 

Waterway. She also managed programs to avoid 

and minimize impacts of navigation upon the 

environment. 

June has 20 years engineering experience, 

with an undergraduate degree in mechanical 

engineering, and graduate degrees in civil/

environmental engineering, ecology, and 

manufacturing engineering. While at the Corps 

of Engineers, June has worked as a water control 

manager and as a project manager for fl ood risk 

management projects. 

“ My job is a challenge that I enjoy 

meeting every day, and it is the best job 

I have ever had. My job allows 

me to work with people with a 

wide range of talents, for example 

with biologists, engineers, towboat 

pilots, and farmers. I very much enjoy 

opportunities to visit the river and see 

my projects in person.” - June Jeffries

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) is the national 

public policy organization that advocates for a 

properly funded and well-maintained system 

of inland waterways and ports. As WCI Vice 

President, Paul Rohde seeks to educate decisionmakers in the states and federal government, 

the news media and the general public about 

the critical importance of our nation’s inland 

waterway system and the need to sustain and 

increase its reliability now and for our future. 

The inland waterways industry was created 

for commerce back when Lewis and Clark set 

out on their exploration of the river system in 

the early 1800s. Today, our inland waterways 

transportation system offers the most fuel 

effi cient, environmentally sustainable method 

of moving our nation’s bulk commodities, at 

the lowest cost to shippers and, therefore, to 

everyone as consumers. 

“ I work closely with environmental, 

conservation and recreation groups, 

as well as many other advocates, to 

discover ways our organizations can 

work together to benefi t both the 

environmental and economic concerns 

on river issues. Affecting river policy is 

all about building coalitions – fi nding 

where groups can work together, 

rolling our sleeves up, and working to 

change the status quo.” - Paul Rohde

June Jeffries, PE

Project Manager

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

St. Louis District

Hydraulics Branch Engineering 

and Construction Division

1222 Spruce St. 

St. Louis, MO 63103

mvs-wc.mvs.usace.army.mil
224 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Jeff Janvrin

Fisheries Biologist/

Mississippi River 

Habitat Specialist 

Wisconsin Department 

of Natural Resources

3550 Mormon Coulee Road, 

La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601

dnr.wi.gov

Michael F. Clark

Owner, River Guide 

and Outfi tter

Big Muddy Adventures

539 Scranton Avenue

Riverview, MO 63137

www.2muddy.com

As a fi sheries biologist and habitat specialist 

with the Wisconsin Department of Natural 

Resources, Jeff Janvrin’s mission is to protect 

and enhance the river environment and to 

promote responsible use of river resources. He 

thinks of the health of the river from a larger 

perspective: habitat loss, endangered species, 

and sedimentation.

Jeff Janvrin coordinates the identifi cation, 

selection, planning, implementation, and 

evaluation of Mississippi River habitat 

restoration projects along the Wisconsin border. 

This involves a collaboration of efforts with other 

states, government agencies, organizations, and 

individuals. 

An important part of Jeff’s job is the collection 

of data both before and after a project. This 

helps determine if project goals were met and 

documents lessons learned that can be used to 

improve future projects. 

“ Restoration of an ecosystem is much 

more complex than grabbing the 

keys to a bulldozer and starting to 

push things back into place. Habitat 

restoration requires careful planning 

and patience. In some respects, it is 

much like trying to fi gure out how to 

put a puzzle back together, only you 

don’t necessarily have, or know, 

where all of the pieces are and 

where they go.” - Jeff Janvrin

Michael Clark has over 10,000 miles of 

experience as a river guide and outfi tter. He also 

teaches history, science, and computer science 

at St. Ann’s of Normandy in St. Louis. 

As the owner of Big Muddy Adventures, 

Michael’s mission has been to connect people of 

all ages to rivers and facilitate a lifelong love of 

learning through exploration. Since 2001, he has 

guided groups on the Mississippi and Missouri 

Rivers and conducted live learning adventures 

for school children across the country. 

Michael also lends his talents and equipment to 

numerous community service organizations to 

help clean the rivers. In 2009, Michael and his 

guides helped pull dozens of tires and barrels 

along with nearly a ton of plastic, aluminum, 

Styrofoam, metal, and cast iron from the rivers.

“ The Mississippi River provides some 

of the best habitat in the world for a 

variety of species. Showing people 

some of the awesome places where 

nature remains intact and resilient is 

one of the keys to what we do.” 

- Michael F. Clark
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 225

Matthew E. Schramm

Resource 

Conservationist

Rock Island County Soil and 

Water Conservation District

3020 East 1st Ave. 

Milan, IL 61264

www.aiswcd.org

Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation 

District’s mission is to promote conservation 

of natural resources (soil, water quality, air, 

vegetation, and wildlife habitat) through delivery 

of a variety of programs to local landowners, the 

public, and public agencies. 

As a resource conservationist, Matthew 

Schramm works with landowners and public 

agencies to coordinate conservation efforts 

to improve water quality and reduce soil 

erosion. He also manages projects that restore 

ecosystems and prevent wildfi res. 

Since the local watersheds in his district all drain 

into the Mississippi River, everything his agency 

does has the potential to affect its health and 

water quality. The communities in his district are 

shaped by the Mississippi River and its history, 

including the decisions made today.

“ One of the best parts of my job is 

working on collaborative efforts 

with other agencies, partners, and 

profession colleagues to advance local 

conservation of natural resources. 

Money, staff resources, and time are at 

a premium these days, but it is really 

neat to see what we can accomplish 

when we sit down together and work 

towards a set of common goals and 

objectives.” - Matthew E. Schramm

Write down the three questions that your class would like to ask in the letter. 
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi W

UNIT 4

Introduction 4.0

Extension Suggestions

 Career launch

Invite a local 

career counselor

or employment 

recruiter to speak 

to the class. Ask 

students to research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

• Just like in the old days, make 

a fi shing pole from a long, 

sturdy stick, twine, and a hook. 

Go try it out. Learn which fi sh 

and size of fi sh you can keep, 

which you must throw back. Will 

you need a license to fi sh? 

• Job Shadow: Students wrote 

an essay about an occupation 

they found interesting. Next 

they should try to job shadow 

someone doing that job.

Express yourself!

Create a Jeopardy-style game 

about river occupations and play 

as a class.

Grades K–4 Extension

What Floats, What Sinks?

In the classroom or outside, 

have students experiment 

with various items, such 

as a leaf, pencil, pebble, or 

chalk, to see which ones 

fl oat or sink in water.

Learn more online

Learn about the U.S. Department 

of Labor (DOL). Go to www.dol.

gov and read about occupations 

in the U.S. by searching 

keywords list of SOC occupations

Explore green jobs at the U.S. 

Department of Labor (DOL). 

Go to www.dol.gov and search 

keywords good jobs, safe jobs, 

green jobs

Visit the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (www.usace.army.mil)

Search keywords: Navigation,

History, and Occupations

226 | 4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

The Mississippi River Water Trail is being 

developed by the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers and partnering organizations 

in response to public requests for a water 

trail on the Mississippi River within the 

St. Louis District boundary. The Corps has 

developed day use rest areas, primitive 

camping areas, watchable wildlife 

and interpretive opportunities on the 

Mississippi River. 

The Mississippi River Water Trail was 

established through a partnership with the 

Mississippi River Water Trail Association, 

American Canoe Association, St. Louis 

Canoe and Kayak Club and numerous 

other partners to support and enhance 

the Mississippi River Water Trail and 

encourage community involvement. Visit 

www.greatriverwatertrail.org for 

more information.
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People | 227

Lesson 4.1

UNIT 4

 Unit 4 goal reminder

Explore the Mississippi 

River at work and how it 

has changed over time

 Lesson goal

Explore what river 

navigation was like before 

the Age of Steam 

 Lesson objectives

• Compare watercraft used 

before steamboats 

• Understand how early 

watercraft were navigated 

• Build a fl atboat

 Educational standards

• Social Studies

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Confl uence: The River 

Heritage of St. Louis video

• Pen and pager

• Metronome or other 

instrument to keep time 

• 1 half-gallon milk 

or juice carton 

• Ruler

• Scissors 

• Tape

• Pipe cleaners

• Paper clips

• Water

• Toy people or animals, 

popcorn, and pennies

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 60 min.

• Activity 1: 30 min.

• Activity 2: 60 min.

 What’s next!

Let’s STEAM down the 

Mississippi River

Early 

Navigation:

Powered by People

Introduction

In Lesson 4.1, students learn about the types of boats used on 

the Upper Mississippi River before the Steam Age and how 

they were navigated. Students read about the exploits of the 

King of the Keel-boaters and understand the skill and strength 

needed to maneuver a 

Keelboat up and down the 

river. Students also make a 

fl atboat and imagine life 

on the river before the 

Steam Age. 

Mike Fink 

King of the Keelboaters

Mike Fink (born 1770/1780? – died 

1823) was a legendary boatman 

who exemplifi ed the tough men 

who ran keelboats up and down the 

Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The 

son of French Canadians, he was 

born in Fort Pitt, near Pittsburgh, 

PA. When he began his career in 

navigation he became notorious 

for both for his practical jokes and 

his willingness to fi ght anyone who was not amused. The 

muscles required to force a keelboat upstream would have 

made him a formidable opponent. Davy Crockett is supposed 

to have described him as “half horse and half alligator.” 

Most of the activities and discussions in 

Unit 4 relate to social studies and language 

arts standards. Students continue to 

develop their research skills by learning 

about river–related occupations and 

then practice their communication 

skills by writing about the job that they 

fi nd most interesting.

fl

n

Most of the activities and discussions in 

eeded to

Keelboat 

ver. Stud

atboat a

n

K

ri

Most of the activities and discussions in fl
228 | 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 4

Lesson 4.1

Background

Before the locks and dams, the Upper 

Mississippi River was a natural, 

meandering river fi lled with shifting 

sand bars and shallow areas. Starting at 

Lake Itasca in north-central Minnesota, 

the Upper Mississippi fl ows more than 

500 miles before it becomes navigable 

near St. Paul, Minnesota. From there, it 

fl ows 670 miles south to St. Louis. Along 

the way, the Upper Mississippi is fed by 

several rivers including the Minnesota, 

St. Croix, Chippewa, Wisconsin, Rock, 

Des Moines, and Illinois Rivers. 

At places such as the Des Moines 

and Rock Island Rapids, the river’s 

current could be dangerously swift and 

treacherous, depending on water levels. 

The depth of the Upper Mississippi 

averaged approximately three feet 

and, at certain seasons, amounted to 

as little as one foot in the 200 

miles below St. Paul. During times of 

fl ooding, the Upper Mississippi was 

deep but turbulent. More frequently, 

long dry spells made the river too 

shallow to navigate. In addition, the 

river’s uncharted shoals and sand bars 

presented a constant danger. Equally 

dangerous were the snags, debris, and 

trees that storms had washed from the 

river’s banks into its waters.

Just above St. Louis the Mississippi 

River joins with the Missouri River, 

where it gains strength and volume. 

About 170 miles south of St. Louis at 

Cairo, Illinois, the Mississippi River 

meets with the Ohio River and doubles 

its volume. At this point, it becomes 

the Lower Mississippi, that “mile-wide 

tide, shining in the sun” described by 

Mark Twain.

Lt. Robert E. Lee mapped the 

Rock Island rapids in 1837. 

He proposed cutting off the 

rock projections in the natural 

channel to make passage easier 

and less dangerous.
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People | 229

Lesson 4.1

UNIT 4

Navigating the Upper Mississippi River

The Upper Mississippi was a challenge 

to all who traveled its waters. For 

hundreds of years before the Steam Age, 

small, light-draft craft plied the Upper 

Mississippi. Native Americans used 

boats that were adaptable to the river’s 

shallow depth and variable conditions, 

such as canoes and pirogues, made out 

of hollowed-out logs. These could be 

either paddled or poled, depending on 

the depth of the water. 

Flatboats and keelboats

Flatboat: A fl atboat was a rectangular 

fl at-bottomed boat used to transport 

freight and passengers on inland 

waterways. The fl atboat is essentially 

a large, sturdy tub with a hull that 

displaces water and so fl oats in the 

water (which differentiates it from a 

raft, which fl oats on the water). 

Flatboats were rowed or pulled by 

horses that walked the river on a road 

called the towpath.

Loaded at an upstream point, they were 

fl oated downriver where their cargoes 

were unloaded. The fl atboats were then 

dismantled and sold for lumber. Built for 

one trip only, they were cheap and often 

poorly constructed, but carried large 

quantities of merchandise at a time.

Keelboat: The most sophisticated 

craft on the Upper Mississippi prior 

to the arrival of the steamboat was 

the keelboat, which came into use 

sometime before 1800. Long, with 

narrow, graceful lines, the keelboat was 

the fi rst queen of the river trade.

Two-way travelers, keelboats were built 

to survive many trips and could carry 

as much as 80 tons of freight. These 

shallow-draft, fl at-bottom vessels were 

pointed at both ends, which allowed 

them to be poled or pulled upstream. 

Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike and his men 

used a 70-foot keelboat during their 

exploration of the Upper Mississippi 

River Valley in 1805.

Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service

Whatever the craft, its success depended 

upon the river’s ever-changing conditions, 

and the skill of its pilot. Early navigators 

were constrained by the natural routes 

and depths of the waterways they 

traveled. Where they met shallow water 

or rapids in rivers, they were forced to 

portage, or carry, their goods and boats 

around the obstruction before continuing 

their journey.

the depth of the water. 
230 | 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.1

UNIT 4

Discussion (60 minutes)

Show students the “The 

Primal River Network” 

scene from the video 

Confl uence: The River 

Heritage of St. Louis. 

Discuss what was learned, focusing 

on how people used the river before 

the Steam Age (trade and migration). 

Produced and directed by Professor 

James Scott at St. Louis University, this 

video is available for purchase from the 

National Great Rivers Museum gift shop 

and online at www.booksonstlouis.com.

Describe the history of the different 

types of boats used on the river and 

how they were navigated. What types 

of watercraft did the Native Americans 

use? What role did the river play in the 

lives of Native Americans? What types 

of boats were used by the explorers and 

why? What kind did Lewis and Clark use? 

Ask the students to think back to the last 

unit. What are the similarities among 

modern and historic boats? Prompt 

students to compare fl atboats with 

today's barges.

What Kind of Boat Was Used?

Type of Boat Typical Cargo and Cargo Limits Size and Crew Direction and Power When Used

Canoe

(birch bark 

or dugout)

Up to 2.5 tons: Food, furs, hides, 

travel supplies

About 18'x3'; 

Crew 1-13

Upstream: paddles 

Downstream: current

Prehistory to 

early 1800s

Pirogue 

(Pee'row)

Up to 40 tons: Food, furs, hides, 

dry goods, cloth, blankets, military 

and travel supplies

Largest 50'x5'; 

Crew up to 30

Upstream: oars or poles 

Downstream: current

1660s – 

1860s

Bateau Up to 40 tons: Passengers, 

dry goods, cloth, blankets, 

military and travel supplies

Larger than a 

pirogue; 

Crew of 18–30

Upstream: oars or poles 

Downstream: current

1750s – 

1790s

Log Raft Lumber and logs, which was the 

log raft itself, sold at destination

About 600' long, 

7–20' wide; 

Crew of 20

Downstream only: 

current

1830s – 

1915

Flatboat Up to 100 tons: Settlers with livestock 

and household goods and supplies, 

agriculture (apples, potatoes, sugar), 

coal, general merchandise

Varied widely Downstream only: 

current

1740s – 

1870s

Keelboat 15 – 100 tons: food, furs, military 

equipment, travel supplies, 

passengers, agriculture (apples, 

potatoes, sugar), coal, general 

merchandise

30–100 long, 

7–20' wide; 

Crew of 10

Upstream: pushed by 

poles or pulled from 

shore, sometimes sail; 

Downstream: current

1770s – 

1860s
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People | 231

UNIT 4

Activity 1 Lesson 4.1

Row, Tow, or 

 Pole Your Boat

Some believe the song “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is a work song. 

Rowing is a skillful, if tedious, practice that takes precision to power 

and steer a vessel. When a work song is sung as a group, it becomes 

a unifi er, helping to keep the rowing of the oars in sync. Some have 

suggested the lyrics are a metaphor for life’s diffi cult choices.

The most common modern version is:

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream.

Sometimes people sing additional verses simply to extend the song, 

which is considered a form of children’s street culture. 

Do This

1. Ask students to add verses that relate to navigating the Upper 

Mississippi River or teaching someone how to paddle a canoe 

(see page 226). For example:

Grades

5–6

Small group 

(3 students) activity

What you’ll need

• Pen and paper

• Metronome or other 

instrument to keep time

(if sung in class)

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the stream

If you see a waterfall

Don’t forget to scream

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the lake

Don’t stand up and rock the boat

That's a big mistake!

2. Have students sing their verses as a round in class. Use a 

metronome to emphasize the importance of timing.

A round is 

a musical 

composition in 

which two or 

more voices sing 

exactly the same melody (and may 

continue repeating it indefi nitely), 

but with each voice beginning at 

different times so that different 

parts of the melody coincide in the 

different voices, but nevertheless 

fi t harmoniously together.

Teacher

 Tip

Rock, rock, rock your boat

Gently to and fro

Watch out, give a shout,

Into the water you go!
232 | 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 4

Lesson 4.1

Open the top of the carton and make 

sure it is clean inside. Lay the carton 

on its side.

Cut along the line, splitting the 

carton in half.

Draw a straight horizontal line the 

length of the carton, dividing it in half. 

Extend the line across the bottom of 

the carton, and then along the entire 

length of the other side.

Cut along the diagonal folds down 

to the top of the carton. You should 

have three fl aps, a wide one in the 

center and a small one on each side.

Students build and test their fl atboats, both when empty and 

fi lled with cargo, such as popcorn, pennies, or small toy animals 

and people.

Here's how it works:

Float

 Your Boat

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

What you’ll need

• 1 half gallon milk or juice 

carton (per student)

• Ruler

• Scissors 

• Tape

• Pipe cleaners

• Paper clips

• Water to fl oat your boat in

• Things to put in your boat: 

toy people or animals, 

popcorn, pennies

1

3

2

4

Activity 2

Fill a plastic bin or tub with 

water and test the boats a 

few at a time or take students 

outside to try their boats in a 

nearby stream or pond.

Teacher

 Tip
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People | 233

UNIT 4

Lesson 4.1

Before you secure the fl aps 

together with tape, this is what 

your fl aps should look like. Secure 

each of the small fl aps to the large 

one with tape.

Cut off the bottom of the carton. 

You now have your cabin. 

Paperclip a pipe cleaner to each 

side of the hull so that the crew 

will have something to propel the 

fl atboat through the water.

Fill your boat with crew members 

or cargo, such as popcorn kernels 

or pennies.

Seal the edges of the fl aps inside 

and out so your fl atboat won’t 

leak. You now have the hull of 

your fl atboat. 

Cut small tabs (2 cuts 1⁄2" high 

and 1" apart) on all sides of the 

carton bottom. 

Fold the wide center fl ap upward to 

meet the sides. Cut off the center fl ap 

excess overlap.

Use the other carton half to make 

the cabin. Measure 3" from the 

bottom of the carton and draw a 

line across all four sides. 

Secure the cabin to the back of 

your fl atboat with tape.

6

9

12 13

7

10

5

8

11
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi W

234 | 4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.1

UNIT 4

Extension Suggestions

 Career launch

Invite a local 

historian to speak 

to the class. Ask 

students to research 

the fi eld and prepare 

questions in advance. See A1: 

Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Express yourself!

• Write a play about traveling 

the Upper Mississippi River by 

canoe in the early 1800s.

• Read a Mark Twain book and 

write a book report to share 

with the class. Some books 

Twain wrote:

- Huckleberry Finn 

- Tom Sawyer 

- A Connecticut Yankee in King 

Arthur’s Court 

- A Double Barrelled 

Detective Story 

- Captain Stormfi eld’s 

Visit to Heaven

Get out!

• Go fl oat your boat that 

you made during Activity 1, 

pages 232–233.

• Visit a local marina and watch 

the watercraft in action.

• Take a hike at a nearby park 

and learn how to use a map 

and compass.

• Take safe canoeing lessons 

from the local parks and 

recreation department.

Learn more online

Learn about fur traders’ 

keelboats at Steamboat Times 

(www.steamboattimes.com)

Choose the button Keelboat in 

the menu.

Before bridges were constructed, 

ferry boats were the way to cross 

the river. Learn about riverboats 

and the early ferry operations on 

the Illinois State Museum website 

(www.museum.state.il.us). Enter 

keywords fi rst ferry in the “Search 

ISM Site” box. Then click on Early 

Technology; Riverboats and Ferry 

Operations

Learn about ferry boats on the 

Middle Mississippi River today. Go 

to Greatriverroad.com and click the 

button River Ferries

In 1705, the fi rst recorded cargo was fl oated down

the river from the Indian country around the 

Wabash, now the states of Indiana and Ohio. This

was a load of 15,000 bear and deer hides brought 

downstream and out below Baton Rouge on its 

way to France.
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | 235

Lesson 4.2

All Aboard the

Steamboat Era:

Steam Powers a New Economy

Introduction

In Lesson 4.2, students learn how the steamboat changed 

travel and commerce on the river. They use nautical charts 

and “mark the twain” with Samuel Clemens. A demonstration 

of the power of steam helps students understand how steam 

power revolutionized travel on the Mississippi River. 

Background

The invention of the 

steamboat in the early 

1800s changed life along 

the Mississippi River. 

Steam-powered shipping 

turned the river into a 

major transportation corridor, increased trade, and created a 

river culture that was distinctly American.

Since there were few roads and no railways in the lands 

of the Louisiana Purchase, the Mississippi River and its 

tributaries were the best routes for travel, trade, and 

settlement. With the advent of steam power, those activities 

increased dramatically. A voyage that once took months 

could now be done in ten days. 

In 1811, the fi rst steamboat to travel the Mississippi from 

the Ohio River to New Orleans was the New Orleans. She 

transported people and goods between New Orleans, 

Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi until she hit a stump and 

sank two years later.

 Unit 4 goal reminder

Explore the Mississippi 

River at work and how it 

has changed over time

 Lesson goal

Learn how the steamboat 

changed travel and commerce 

on the river 

 Lesson objectives

• Introduce the steamboat

• Discuss how the steamboat 

revolutionized river commerce

• Use maps to navigate the river

• Demonstrate the power 

of steam 

 Educational standards

• Science 

• Social Studies

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Confl uence: The River 

Heritage of St. Louis video

• 2 cups of water

• Toy pinwheel

• Hotpot or pot of boiling 

water and hot plate

• Pot-holder glove

• Cub pilot journal

 How long it will take

• Activity 1: 30 min.

• Activity 2: 60 min.

 What’s next!

Floods and drought on the 

Upper Mississippi River.

In this lesson we continue to uncover ways 

to navigate the river and introduce the 

steamboat. We touch on the physical science 

standard as students watch a demonstration 

about the power of steam and address the 

history of science by learning about the 

inventors that harnessed it.

In this lesson we continue to uncover ways

Backgro

The inven

steamboa In this lesson we continue to uncover ways
UNIT 4

Lesson 4.2

236 | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

During the War of 1812, between the 

United States and Great Britain, Capt. 

Henry M. Shreve brought a cargo of 

supplies for Gen. Andrew Jackson’s 

army from Pittsburgh to New Orleans in 

his side-wheeler, the Enterprise. 

Although steamboats were in service 

between New Orleans and Natchez, 

they had not yet traveled far upriver. 

In 1817, the Washington made the 

round trip from Louisville to New 

Orleans in 41 days. Steamboat traffi c 

increased rapidly soon after that. By 

1833 more than 1,200 steamboats 

traveled the river. 

Steamboats on the Upper Mississippi 

In August 1817, the Zebulon M. Pike

became the fi rst steamboat to reach 

St. Louis after a six-week trip from 

Louisville, Kentucky. In 1823, the 

Virginia was the fi rst steamboat to travel 

from St. Louis, Missouri, to St. Paul, 

Minnesota. By 1840, there was heavy 

river commerce between St. Louis and 

the head of navigation at St. Anthony’s 

Falls located near St. Paul. 

The Grand Excursion

In 1854, the Chicago and Rock Island 

Railroad became the fi rst to reach the 

Mississippi River from the East Coast. 

To celebrate the event, people traveled 

from Chicago to Rock Island, Illinois, by 

train, and then traveled upriver to St. 

Paul, Minnesota, by steamboat. 

Full steam ahead

Traffi c on the Mississippi River was 

dominated by steamboats for most of 

the 19th and early 20th centuries. The 

period between 1830 and 1850 was the 

golden age of steamboats. Steam power 

made it quicker and cheaper to 

Designed for both sea and river navigation, Maid of Orleans

was the fi rst steamboat to reach St. Louis from an Atlantic port 

in 1820. The note on the drawing reads, “Steamboat Maid of 

Orleans on the Mississippi River going to St. Louis.”

The steamboat War 

Eagle operated between 

Galena, Illinois, and St. 

Paul, Minnesota. It was 

later rebuilt as the Cape 

Girardeau.
Steam boat bell from the Belle Steam whistle

of Louisville

UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | 237

Lesson 4.2

ship people and cargo, such as cotton, 

timber, coal, and produce, by river 

through New Orleans than to move them 

by land over the Appalachian Mountains. 

Because produce and products could 

be more easily transported to market, 

steamboats sparked the rapid growth of 

port cities, farming, trade, and prosperity 

along the river.

End of an era

The golden era of steamboats on the 

Mississippi River continued until the 

1870s, when railroads began to surpass 

the river as the major commercial 

transportation mode for the central 

United States. 

In 1856, the fi rst railroad bridge was built 

across the Mississippi River between 

Davenport, Iowa, and the Rock Island 

The steamboat Golden Era operated on the 

Upper Mississippi and Red Rivers from 1852 to 

1868 and saw service during the Civil War.

 The fi rst bridge across the Mississippi River was 

built in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1855. 

 Steamboats did not always have steam whistles. 

Before steam whistles, bells had been used for passing 

signals and other communication between boats. 
UNIT 4

238 | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.2

Ship channels are buoyed and lighted, and therefore it is a 

comparatively easy undertaking to learn to run them; clearwater rivers, with gravel bottoms, change their channels very 

gradually, and therefore one needs to learn them but once; but 

piloting becomes another matter when you apply it to vast 

streams like the Mississippi and the Missouri, whose alluvial 

banks cave and change constantly, whose snags are always hunting 

up new quarters, whose sand-bars are never at rest, whose 

channels are forever dodging and shirking, and whose obstructions 

must be confronted in all nights and all weathers without the 

aid of a single lighthouse or a single buoy; for there is neither 

light nor buoy to be found anywhere in all this three or four 

thousand miles of villainous river.

–Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

Cover of the original U.S. edition, 1883.

Arsenal in Illinois. Two weeks after it was 

completed, the steamboat Effi e Afton hit 

the bridge and set it afi re. Steamboat 

captains declared the bridge a hazard. 

In the lawsuit that followed, Abraham 

Lincoln defended the railroad and won. 

Steamboat transport remained a viable 

industry, in terms of both passengers 

and freight, until about 1920.

Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Library of Congress; Augustana 

College; Upper Mississippi River History; www.steamboats.org

The Robert E. Lee, nicknamed 

the “Monarch of the Mississippi,” 

was a steamboat built in 1866. 

It beat the former record holder, 

the Natchez, in a famous 1870 

steamboat race. 
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | 239

Lesson 4.2

James Watt

Inventor of the steam engine

James Watt (1736 – 1819) was a 

Scottish inventor and engineer who 

redesigned the steam engine and 

helped usher in the Industrial Age.

Legend says that Watt got the idea 

for his steam engine when he 

saw steam pressure lift the kettle 

lid. Although steam power was 

already in use before Watt’s time, 

he took the idea and improved it, 

making it available on a major scale.

In 1755, Watt took out a patent on 

his design. For the next 55 years, the 

Boulton & Watt Company had a monopoly 

over the production of steam engines. Watt 

calculated the power exerted by a horse and 

described his machines in comparison to a horse, 

so he also invented the term “horsepower.”

John Fitch

Inventor of the steamboat

John Fitch (1743 – 1798) was an American inventor, 

clockmaker, and silversmith born in Windsor, 

Connecticut. He built the fi rst recorded steampowered boat in the United States in 1787. 

Fitch began working on ideas for a steampowered boat in 1785, 30 years after Watt’s patent. 

The fi rst successful trial run of his steamboat was 

made on the Delaware River in 1787. In 1790, he 

launched another boat powered by several sternmounted oars.

Fitch was granted a patent on August 26, 1791, 

after a battle with James Rumsey, who also 

invented a steam-powered boat. Fitch’s legal 

dispute with Rumsey and others helped bring 

about the enactment of the fi rst Patent Act in 1790.
UNIT 4

240 | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.2

Samuel Clemens

Author and steamboat captain 

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910) 

was an American author and humorist. 

His pen name was Mark Twain. He is 

best known for his novel, Adventures of 

Huckleberry Finn (1884), which has been 

called “the Great American Novel.” Author 

William Faulkner called him the Father of 

American Literature.

Born in Missouri, he grew up in the port 

town of Hannibal on the Mississippi River. In 

1859, at the age of 24, he realized a boyhood 

dream by becoming a steamboat pilot after 

serving as a cub pilot for two years under 

the tutelage of steamboat pilot Horace E. 

Bixby. Clemens chronicled his steamboat 

training and career in his book, 

Mississippi

Life on the 

, written in 1883. 

Blanche Leathers 

First female steamboat captain

Blanche Douglass Leathers (1860 – 

1940) was the fi rst woman steamboat 

captain on the Mississippi River 

in the late 19th and early 20th 

centuries. Nicknamed “Angel of 

the Mississippi,” she had wanted 

to captain a steamboat since she 

was a little girl. She married into 

the Leathers family, a prominent 

steamboat family from New 

Orleans. Seven of the Natchez

steamboats were built for the 

Leathers family. She and her husband, 

Bowling S. Leathers, both piloted the 

steamboat Natchez VII. Her father-inlaw Captain T. P. Leathers commanded the 

Natchez in its historic 1870 race with the

Robert E. Lee from New Orleans to St. Louis.

, 

the

he

Louis
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | 241

Lesson 4.2

Who's Who on a Steamboat?

• Captain: Often the owner, the captain was in 

command of the steamboat. The captain was 

sometimes called the master. 

• Pilot: The pilot steered the boat from the pilothouse 

on the top of the boat. Since there were no markers 

or buoys to operate by, pilots had to navigate the 

river largely from memory. An apprentice pilot was 

called a cub pilot.

• Engineer: The engineer started and stopped the 

boat’s engines. Maintaining the appropriate water 

levels and steam pressure was very important 

because any sudden increase in pressure could lead 

to a catastrophic explosion.

• First mate: The fi rst mate directed the handling of 

cargo and fuel, helped with landing and launching, 

and supervised the work of the deckhands. 

• Fireman: Steamboats need a fi reman to make sure 

there is enough fi re to heat the water in the boilers 

to make steam and turn the paddlewheels. 

• Deckhands: Also called stevedores or roustabouts, 

deckhands handled the freight and supplies carried 

aboard steamers. They also maintained and 

repaired the boat. 

Discussion (60-90 minutes)

Show students scene 3, “The River 

Network Tamed,” from the video 

Confl uence: The River Heritage of St. 

Louis and a three-minute video clip on 

the history of the steam engine online 

at the History Channel’s website. Go to 

www.history.com and search keywords 

Modern Marvels Steam Engines Drive a 

Revolution. 

Remind students they learned about 

the types of boats that were powered 

by people (paddling, oaring, poling, 

pulling) in the last lesson. Help students 

see the similarities and differences 

between paddling a canoe and a steampowered paddle wheel. 

Introduce the students to the inventors 

of the steamboat: John Fitch made 

the fi rst successful trial of a steamboat, 

and Robert Fulton made further 

innovations and invented the fi rst 

successful commercial steamboat, 

the Clermont. Discuss the impact of 

the steamboat on trade, migration, 

settlements, and transport. 
UNIT 4

242 | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.2

Steam is either mist (as seen from a kettle), or the gas phase of 

water (water vapor). Steam engines use the expansion of steam 

to drive a piston or turbine to perform mechanical work.

The steam engine is a heat engine. Heat energy from fuel is 

transferred to water in a boiler, making steam. Steam pressure 

is then converted to mechanical energy. Steam engines are 

classifi ed as external combustion engines, because the fuel is 

burned under a boiler, and not inside the engine itself, as in 

gasoline and diesel engines.

Activity 1

Grades

5–6

Teacher-led activity

What you’ll need

• 2 cups of water

• Toy pinwheel

• Hotpot or pot of 

boiling water

• Pot-holder glove

Create Your Own

 Steam Power

Include time for water 

to boil Get Ready

1. Review the properties of water with students from 

lesson 1.3 in Unit 1. 

2. Remind students that energy can change from 

one form to another. 

3. Ask students to think about steam and explain the basic 

science of a steam engine.

• Steam is the vapor state of water. The heat from burning 

fuel is absorbed by the liquid molecules in the water, 

exciting them. The water molecules begin to move faster 

and “break away” from the liquid surface, creating steam.

• Like wind, steam has pressure. When it hits something, 

it can make it move, similar to how wind can turn a 

propeller. Pressure from the steam is used to create 

mechanical energy. 

This activity can be a 

class demonstration or a 

group activity. If students 

are going to do this 

activity on their own, be 

sure to supervise them 

closely and remind them 

that steam can burn.

Teacher

 Tip
UNIT 4

Lesson 4.2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | 243

The Science of Steam Power

A steamboat is a ship that is powered by 

steam, which drives its paddlewheels. 

Steamboats with a paddlewheel mounted 

on the rear were called sternwheelers; 

those with paddlewheels on each side were 

side-wheelers. 

A fi re beneath the boilers in the engine 

room created enough heat to produce hot 

steam. The engine transformed the 

steam pressure to paddlewheel rotation. 

The higher the pressure, the faster the boat. 

Steamboats needed anywhere from 15 to 75 

cords of wood a day – enough to build 15 

houses – in the 1880s. People cut down the 

forests along the river’s edge to power the 

steamboats until the supply was gone. Later 

steamboats were powered with coal.

Steam power could be dangerous because the 

high pressure could cause the boilers to burst. 

Many steamboats were destroyed and their 

passengers killed when their boilers exploded. 

If a boat was at a landing near a city or town 

when it happened, the explosion could also 

start a fi re on land.

Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Library of Congress; 

www.steamboats.com

1 - Piston

2 - Piston rod

3 - Crosshead bearing

4 - Connecting rod

5 - Crank

6 - Eccentric valve motion

7 - Flywheel

8 - Sliding valve

9 - Centrifugal governor

Do This

1. Put the water in the pot and bring 

it to a boil.

2. Wearing an oven mitt or protective 

glove, hold a toy pinwheel over the 

steam of the boiling water.

3. Observe what happens to the 

pinwheel.

4. Move the pinwheel away from the 

steam and see what happens.

5. Ask students to explain in writing 

what happened.

What Should Happen

The heated water molecules from the 

steam move faster and farther apart. 

The steam becomes lighter and rises 

upward, creating an air current which 

moves the pinwheel.
UNIT 4

244 | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.2

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) received good advice from 

Horace Bixby, the river pilot who taught him how to read the 

river. The notebook Clemens used was ruled for use as a 

ledger and contains the cargo records of a steamboat clerk, 

suggesting that Clemens probably acquired it in some haste 

from that clerk. The dense texture of navigational directions 

on the pages displayed includes the young pilot’s notes in the 

area of St. Louis.

When Clemens was learning how to pilot a steamboat, there 

were no buoys to guide him or locks and dams to help him 

navigate the changes in depth. He needed to know a hundred 

landmarks for every mile of the journey so he could know the 

shape of the river at night. Every point, stump, limb, ridge, rock, 

or snag had told him something about the river. He had to steer 

for the slack water, staying close fi rst to one bank and then the 

other. To fi nd slack water, he had to know the shape of the river 

so well he did not actually need to see the landmarks.

He also had to know the depth of the river in all places. 

This depth was measured by the pilot’s leadsmen who 

constantly monitored the amount of water under the bow 

and stern of the boat.

Get Ready

1. Read the quote attributed to Horace Bixby in Life on 

the Mississippi (on next page) and ask students to 

imagine the skills and knowledge required to be a 

steamboat pilot. Think about how writing things down 

helps you remember them.

Activity 2

Grades

5–6

Individual activity

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet 

and map (pages 

246–247)

• Cub pilot journal

Marking the

 Twain
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | 245

Lesson 4.2

2. Explain how pilots “read the river,” a 

term used to describe the way pilots 

memorized the river’s landmarks 

and characteristics and constantly 

monitored its current conditions.

• Reading a constantly changing 

river meant understanding – and 

being on the lookout for – where 

the river was building sandbars 

by depositing silt and where it 

was moving obstructions such as 

logs or snags.

• Pilots had to constantly monitor 

water levels and know where 

the water was deep enough to 

navigate.

• They also had to know an area 

well enough to steer around, 

over, or through obstacles or 

hazards such as bridges and 

submerged rocks or other objects 

in any weather, day or night.

3. Explain how Samuel Clemens chose 

the pen name Mark Twain and what it 

means to “mark the twain.”

Do This

1. Ask students to “mark the twain” 

on the map on page 247. The activity 

worksheet on page 246 explains the 

term and how it was used. 

2. Using the twain measurements in 

the activity worksheet, they should 

note by highlighting or circling which 

areas on the map are above twain 

and below twain. 

3. Ask students to also star any 

numbers that represent “mark 

twain” (safe water) or “no bottom.” 

4. Ask students to describe what it 

would be like to navigate this part of 

the river in their “cub pilot” journal.

My boy, you must get a little 

memorandum-book, and every 

time I tell you a thing, put it 

down right away. There's only one 

way to be a pilot, and that is to 

get this entire river by heart. You 

have to know it just like A B C.

—Horace Bixby, from Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi

Answer key for activity worksheets (page 246–247):

Students should fi nd at least one example of each 

measurement listed on the activity worksheet on page 

246. They should also star all measurements of 12 feet 

or more as representing safe water.
246 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Marking the Twain

Name Date 

Quarter less twain

Quarter less twain

Lawd, Lawd, no send me quarter less twain

Throw the lead line a little higher out.

I’ve gone low down, so mark twain,

Mark twain.

Come ahead, Mr. Pilot, a little bit strong.

I’ve done got over, and I believe we’re gonna

Throw the leadline over—

No bottom here.

– from Work Songs by Ted Gioia 

“Mark Twain,” the pen name of 

American author Samuel Clemens, 

was the call the leadman made 

when the boat was in safe water. It 

meant the water was two fathoms 

(12 feet) deep. 

A fathom was a unit of measurement the length of a man’s 

outstretched arms (approximately 

6 feet). Twain is an archaic term for 

the number two, so Mark Twain 

means “mark two.”

A leadman determined the depth 

of the river using a leadline, which 

was a 30-foot-long weighted 

rope with incremental distances 

marked on it. He shouted these 

measurements to the pilot:

“Quarter” 1-1/2 feet (one quarter of a twain)

“Half” 3 feet (1/4 twain)

“Quarter Less” 4.5 feet (twain minus 1-1/2 feet)

“Mark One” 6 feet (1/2 twain)

“Quarter One” 7-1/2 feet 

“Half One” 9 feet 

“Quarter Less Twain” 10-1/2 feet 

“Mark Twain” (safe water) 12 feet 

“Quarter Twain” 13-1/2 feet 

“Half Twain” 15 feet

“Quarter Less Three” 16-1/2 

“Mark Three” 18 feet 

“Quarter Three” 19-1/2 feet 

“Half Three” 21 feet 

“Quarter Less Four” 22-1/2 feet 

“Mark Four” 24 feet 

“No Bottom” Any depth over 24 feet
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 247

24

25

23

22.5

21

20

19.5

18

17

16.5

15

14

13.5 12

11

10.5

9

8

7.5

6

5

4.5

3

2

1.5

2

2

8

10

3

3

4

Circle all the “marking the twain” measurements on the map using the list on the 

previous page. You should fi nd at least one 

number for each measurement. Star all the 

measurements that represent safe water.

All numbers represent water depth in feet.
248 | 4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

Extension Suggestions

W

UNIT 4

Lesson 4.2

Extension Suggestions

 Career launch

Invite a local 

captain or pilot to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

Go ride on a steamboat and keep 

a log of the journey.

Express yourself!

• Write a song about steamboats.

• Draw a steamboat.

• Write a play about working on 

a steamboat using as many 

steamboat terms as possible. 

Read about it

Read “Cooling Our Bottom on 

The Sand Bars”: A Chronicle of 

a Low Water Trip by Michael H. 

Marleau. This feature compares 

Samuel Clemens’ journals with 

a letter to the St. Louis Missouri 

Republican believed to be written 

by Clemens. Ask students to read 

the letter and decide if they agree. 

Go to www.twainquotes.com and 

search for “cooling our bottom.”

Congress passed the fi rst Federal Patent Act 

in 1790. The Constitution (Article 1, Section 

8, Clause 8) gives Congress the power ”To 

promote the Progress of Science and useful 

Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors 

and Inventors the exclusive Right to their 

respective Writings and Discoveries.”

John Fitch was granted his fi rst United States 

patent for a steamboat on August 26, 1791.

Learn more online

Explore an interactive 

steamboat model online at 

www.steamboats.org

Click button: History and 

Education

Search keywords: Interactive 

steamboat model

Learn more about U.S. Patents 

from the United States Patent 

and Trademark Offi ce’s website 

www.uspto.gov. 

Search keywords: USPTO for kids

Find steamboat news stories 

and pictures of past and 

present steamboats at 

www.steamboats.org

Download the works of Mark 

Twain at Project Gutenberg. 

Go to www.gutenberg.org and 

search keywords: Mark Twain
UNIT 4

Lesson 4.3

River Running 

Dry, River 

Running High 

Major Floods on the Upper 

Mississippi River

Introduction

In Lesson 4.3, students learn about the changeable nature of 

the Upper Mississippi River and how it alternates between 

fl ooding and drought. 

 Unit 4 goal reminder

Explore the Mississippi 

River at work and how it 

has changed over time

 Lesson goal

Understand the natural cycles of 

fl ooding and drought on the Upper 

Mississippi River 

 Lesson objectives

• Discuss causes of fl ooding 

• Identify major fl oods along the 

Mississippi River

• Research what kind of technology 

was used after each major fl ood

• Produce news article and 

broadcast

 Educational standards

• Science

• Social Studies

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• U.S. Army Signal Corps historic 

footage of the 1927 fl ood

• PBS Nova online video

The Great Flood of 1993

• Guest speaker

• Student journals

• Library and Internet access

• Digital video recorder

• Computer with DVD player 

and video editing software, 

such as iMovie

 How long it will take

• Several one-hour sessions for 

students to research, prepare, 

and conduct the interviews

• Actual broadcast can be 

15-30 minutes 

 What’s next!

How locks and dams made the 

Upper Mississippi River the 

ultimate travel corridor

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | 249

This lesson combines history, social science, and language 

arts standards to help students understand the impact fl oods 

have on the lives of people. Students learn about the 1927 and 

the 1993 Mississippi River fl oods through multimedia sources, 

including documentaries, raw footage, amateur video, and 

newscasts. They use the knowledge and insight gained from 

studying these disasters to write their own newscasts to inform 

their communities about what causes fl oods and what they 

can do to protect themselves during the ups and downs of the 

Upper Mississippi River.

This lesson combines history, social science, and la
1927

The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 

was one of the most destructive fl oods 

in the history of the United States. The 

river crested at 56.60 feet at Natchez, 

Mississippi, on May 4, 1927, 8.60 feet 

above fl ood stage. 

The history of the 

Mississippi River 

is one of frequent 

fl oods. 

UNIT 4

Lesson 4.3

250 | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Background

Free-fl owing river

People living along the Mississippi 

River were well aware of the fl ooding 

potential of the Mississippi River. Native 

American settlements were located on 

higher land. Hernando de Soto, the fi rst 

European to explore the Mississippi, 

noticed how much the river fl ooded. 

In its natural state, the Upper Mississippi 

River experienced cycles of high and 

low water levels. In wet years, river 

levels were high and turbulent. In dry 

years, water levels lowered to a trickle 

in some places. The plants and animals 

that lived along the Upper Mississippi 

River adapted to the river’s larger range 

of water level fl uctuations. In fact, 

they depended on these fl uctuations. 

Steamboats, however, were not so 

adaptable. High, fast waters were 

diffi cult to navigate. During a drought, 

water levels were too low for navigation, 

and many steamboats became stranded 

on sandbars. 

Major Floods on the Mississippi River

1965

The river crested at 

24.85 feet in Clinton, 

Iowa, on April 28.
2008

The river crested at 36.70 ft at 

Clarksville Lock and Dam in 

Missouri, 11.70 feet above fl ood 

stage on June 24, 2008. 

UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | 251

Lesson 4.3

The young city of New Orleans near 

the mouth of the Mississippi began to 

build levees four to six feet in height to 

protect itself from fl oods. By 1812 levees 

had been built to protect land for more 

than 150 miles north of New Orleans.

Environmental impact of steamboats

Steamboat traffi c had severe adverse 

environmental effects on the Mississippi 

River, especially between St. Louis and 

the confl uence with the Ohio River.

Steamboats needed anywhere 

from 15 to 75 cords of wood a day, 

enough to build 15 houses in the 1880s. 

The steamboats consumed so much 

wood for fuel that the Mississippi 

River’s fl oodplain soon became 

deforested. Without forests to anchor 

the soil, more sediment was released 

into the river. The Mississippi River 

became both wider and more shallow, 

making navigation more diffi cult 

and dangerous.

1993

The river crested at 

49.47 feet in St. Louis, 

Missouri, 19 feet above 

fl ood stage. 

2001

River crested at nearly 16.41 

feet, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, 

four feet above fl ood stage.
UNIT 4

252 | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.3

Containing the river

By the late 1800s, the importance of the Mississippi 

River as a transportation corridor was well established. 

Congress wanted to protect this vital resource, so they 

passed legislation to improve the river for navigation 

and protect communities against fl ooding. In 1879 

Congress established the Mississippi River Commission 

to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prevent 

destructive fl oods and deepen the river channel to make 

navigation safer and easier. 

In 1917, Congress passed the country's fi rst fl ood control 

act, authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work 

on levees from Illinois to Louisiana. By 1926, the Corps 

fi nished the construction of levees stretching from Cairo, 

Illinois to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Great Flood of 1927

The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was one of the most 

destructive fl oods in the history of the United States. 

In the summer and fall of 1926, violent storms dumped 

ten times the yearly average rainfall into tributaries 

throughout the Mississippi River watershed. On April 16 

a 1,200-foot length of levee collapsed near Greenville, 

Mississippi, breaking with a force double that of Niagara 

Falls. It fl ooded an area 50 miles wide and more than 100 

miles long, killing 246 people in seven states and causing 

over $400 million in damage.

Map of the fl ood of 1927

Aerial view below shows the levee break at Mounds 

Landing, Mississippi, during the fl ood of 1927.
Missouri River

Ohio River

Wisconsin River

La Croix River

Tennessee

Minnesota River

Illinois River

Kaskaskia River

A

r

Des Moines River

WI

MO

IA

IL

MN

NE

KS

OK TN

KY

IN

OH

Missouri River

Ohio River

Tennessee River

Illinois River

Kaskaskia River

Arkansas River

Red River

Mississippi River

r

MO

IL

KS

OK

AR

LA

MS AL

TN

KY

IN

OH UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | 253

Lesson 4.3

In response to the devastating fl ood of 1927, Congress 

passed the 1928 Flood Control Act authorizing the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design and construct 

projects for the control of fl oods on the Mississippi 

River and its tributaries.

Great Flood of 1993

In 1993 another disastrous Mississippi River fl ood 

hit the Midwest, rivaling the devastation of the 1927 

fl ood. Record precipitation again fell on the Mississippi 

watershed, starting in the fall of 1992, continuing as 

snow during the winter, followed by heavy spring rains. 

From May through September of 1993, major fl ooding 

occurred across North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, 

Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and 

Illinois. Near-record fl ows on the Mississippi River 

pushed the stage at St. Louis up to a new record high 

of 47 feet on July 20. Less than two weeks later, the 

river set another record crest of 49.47 feet at St. Louis 

on August 1. 

In all, 92 locations set new record crests in 1993. 

Damage totaled $15 billion, 50 people died, hundreds 

of levees failed, and thousands of people were 

displaced for months.

Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration), NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

These two photos below compare the Mississippi River near St. Louis 

before and during the Great Flood of 1993. The photo on the left is from 

August 1991. The photo on the right is from August 1993, just after 

fl oodwaters had started to recede after the Flood of 1993.

Extent of fl ooding in 1927

Approximate area affected

Approximate area affected

Extent of fl ooding in 1993
Discussion (60 minutes)

Review key terms and concepts from Lesson 

1.3 Going with the Flow: The Ups and Downs 

of the Water Cycle and introduce major 

Upper Mississippi River fl oods. Discuss 

them in the context of the river’s natural 

cycle of droughts and fl oods and explain 

how climate and seasonal weather patterns 

impact the river. Have students watch the 

videos and write in their journals about their 

emotional reaction to the stories.

You’ll need

• Mississippi River Flood of 1927, an 

18-minute silent fi lm of the actual fl ood. 

Available free for downloading in several 

formats and for viewing online at Internet 

Archive (registration required). Go to 

www.archive.org. After registering, search 

for “Mississippi River Flood of 1927.“

• PBS Nova 5-minute video The Great Flood 

of 1993. Available free as a quicktime fi le 

at http://www.teachersdomain.org

(registration required)

• Student journals

Synopsis for Mississippi River Flood 

of 1927: (Rare, archival footage of the 1927 

Mississippi River fl ood produced by the U.S. 

Army Signal Corps) 

This silent fi lm captures one of the most 

dangerous fl oods in U.S. history in its 

historical context. Title cards interpret 

footage from Illinois, Mississippi, and 

Louisiana. Clips include fl oodwaters carrying 

houses and debris, marooned families and 

their livestock, levees being reinforced, 

biplanes searching for survivors, steamboats 

UNIT 4

254 | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.3

Need to Know

• Weather: The day-to-day state 

of the atmosphere, and its 

short-term (minutes to weeks) 

variation. Popularly, weather is 

thought of as the combination 

of temperature, humidity, 

precipitation, cloudiness, 

visibility, and wind.

• Climate: Statistical weather 

information that describes the 

variation of weather at a given 

place for a specifi ed interval. 

It represents the synthesis of 

weather; more formally it is the 

weather of a locality averaged 

over some period (usually 30 

years) plus statistics of weather 

extremes.

• Crest: A high point of an action 

or process.

• Floodplain: A fl at or nearly 

fl at land next to a stream or 

river that occasionally or 

periodically fl oods.

• Flood stage: An established 

gage height for a given location 

above which a rise in water 

surface level begins to create 

a hazard to lives, property, or 

commerce.
rescuing stranded residents, and 

Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover 

meeting with Red Cross offi cials. 

Synopsis for The Great Flood of 1993

During a typical year, levees built along 

the banks of the Mississippi River keep 

the river in its channel and out of people’s 

homes and fi elds. However, 1993 was 

anything but a typical summer. This video 

segment adapted from NOVA describes 

the meteorological conditions that 

created what was then the costliest fl ood 

in United States history.

UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | 255

Lesson 4.3

Well all last night 

 I sat on the levee and moan 

Thinkin’ ‘bout my baby 

 and my happy home 

If it keeps on rainin’, 

 levee’s goin’ to break 

And all these people

 have no place to stay 

Now look here mama 

 what am I to do 

I ain’t got nobody 

 to tell my troubles to 

I works on the levee mama 

 both night and day 

I ain’t got nobody, 

 keep the water away 

If it keeps on rainin’, 

 levee’s goin’ to break 

And the water gonna come in, 

 have no place to stay 

When the 

Levee Breaks...

When the Levee Breaks is a 

Delta blues song written and 

fi rst recorded by husband 

and wife Kansas Joe McCoy 

and Memphis Minnie in 1929. 

The song is in reaction to the 

upheaval caused by the Great 

Mississippi Flood of 1927.

Oh cryin’ won’t help you, 

 prayin’ won’t do no good 

When the levee breaks, 

 mama, you got to lose 

I works on the levee, 

 mama both night and day 

I works so hard, 

 to keep the water away 

I had a woman, 

 she wouldn’t do for me 

I’m goin’ back 

 to my used to be 

It’s a mean old levee, 

 cause me to weep and moan 

Gonna leave my baby, 

 and my happy home
UNIT 4

256 | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.3

Grades

5–6

Group activity

Ask students to work in teams to plan and produce a 10 to 

15 minute broadcast news story about how their community 

prepared for—or recovered from—a recent fl ood. 

Get Ready

1. Ask students to think about what they learned about 

Mississippi River fl oods from the videos and class 

discussions. Ask them if they had any questions about the 

fl oods that were not addressed.

2. Introduce the audiovisual script activity worksheet and 

explain that multimedia stories are planned and written in 

columns (one for visuals and one for the script)

3. Have students search www.youtube.com for past news 

coverage and raw footage of fl oods. 

• Suggest using search terms that include “Mississippi 

River fl ood” (in quotes) with the dates of major 

fl oods (1993, 2001, 2008).

• Ask them to critically evaluate their sources for 

accuracy and credibility.

4. Invite a local reporter to talk to the class as part of their 

preparation.

Breaking News!

River Reports

Activity

What You'll Need

• A guest speaker

• Library and Internet access

• Audiovisual script activity 

worksheet (pages 258–259)

• Digital video recorder

• Computer with DVD player 

and video editing software, 

such as iMovie

• Several onehour sessions 

for students to 

research, prepare, 

conduct interviews, 

write and edit 

material as a group

• Actual broadcast 

can be 10-15 

minutes for each 

group )

If you lack resources to create a multimedia 

broadcast, such as a digital video recorder 

and DVD player, adapt the activity for radio 

broadcast with sound effects, a PowerPoint 

presentation with visuals, or a print story 

with photos and diagrams. If these are not 

available, have students make a report to 

the class. 

Teacher

 Tip

their community

flood. 

arned about

and class 

estions about the 

worksheet and 

ned and written in 

script)

for past news 

de “Mississippi 

s of major 

ources for

as part of their 

multimedia

recorder

y for radio 

owerPoint 

nt story 

e are not 

eport to
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | 257

Lesson 4.3

Do This

1. Organize students into “newsroom” 

groups and let them assign 

themselves roles: writers, reporters, 

and producers. 

2. Ask students to determine their 

“angle” or research question they 

will use to narrow their focus and 

plan their research and interviews 

accordingly.

3. Have students research history 

of fl ooding in their area at the 

library and on the Internet and 

determine individuals to interview 

for their stories.

4. Have students write up their 

interviews and text for the 

news reporters.

5. Use the fi nal script and their video 

for assessment.

UNIT

4

will use to narrow their focus and

plan their research and interviews 

accordingly.

interviews and text for the

news reporters.

5. Use the fi nal script and their video 

for assessment.
258 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Breaking News!

River Reports

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Use your investigative and communication skills to report on the most recent fl ood 

in your area. Work with your group to plan and produce a 10 to 15 minute broadcast 

news story about a local fl ood. 

What's the story?

Determine your story's purpose or “angle.” What does your audience need to know 

about the most recent fl ood? Write it as a research question and use it to guide your 

research and interviews.

 1. What is your research question / angle?

2. Narrow down your topic. What specifi cally will your story cover? 

3. Write your audiovisual script in columns as shown in the sample. 

 
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 259

Sample audiovisual script

Video Audio

Kids getting off the bus at a river 

restoration site.

Close-up of student in tall boots 

holding a shovel in one gloved hand 

and a native plant in the other.

Close-up of student planting a 

native plant.

Riverside Elementary school 

students are helping make the world a 

better place.

After learning how the loss of wetlands 

increases the severity of fl oods, they 

decided to do something about it.

Wide shot of river showing birds, 

boats, and people on and along 

the river.

Zoom in to a spot next to the river that 

is just bare rocks and dirt.

Close-up of fi rst student as she speaks.

Wide shot of student’s faces listening.

A long time ago this used to be a 

wetland full of lots of different kinds 

of plants and animals.

Now, it’s just a parking lot that few 

people use.

Our class is going to help the city 

restore it by planting native plants.

Wide shot of City Parks Manager John 

Smith standing with the teacher Jane 

Doe and several students.

Close-ups of John Smith and Jane 

Doe talking.

”The students are doing important 

work,“ says City Parks Manager John 

Smith. ”Over time, this area will 

become a fully functional wetland. 

When the river fl oods, it will absorb 

some of the water, helping to prevent 

fl ooding downtown.“

”After learning about the importance of 

wetlands, the class wanted to fi nd a 

project that would help restore one in 

their community,“ says Jane Doe. 
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi W

UNIT 4

260 | 4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.3

Extension Suggestions

 Career launch

Invite a local news 

reporter or TV 

anchor to speak 

to the class. Ask 

students to research 

the fi eld and prepare questions in 

advance. See A1: Career Launch on 

page 312 for career information and 

professional associations.

Express yourself!

• Write a news story for your 

school newspaper about the 

history of natural disasters in 

your area. Include information 

on disaster preparedness.

• Write a song about the 1927 

or 1993 fl ood.

Get out!

• Interview people in your 

community about fl oods and 

other natural disasters.

• Hike along the Mississippi 

River and look for evidence of 

fl ooding.

• Prepare a fl ood preparedness 

plan for your school, 

neighborhood, or family.

Think about it

• Analyze the historic fl oods of 

the Mississippi River in the 

context of the massive fl oods 

that occurred during the 

Pleistocene. Help students fi nd 

primary sources that describe 

the archeological evidence 

for Ice Age fl oods. Review 1.1 

Movers and Scrapers: Upper 

Mississippi Glaciations for 

background information. 

Compare and contrast

• Compare and contrast the 1927 

Mississippi River Flood with 

the 1931 Yangtze River Flood in 

China.

• Compare and contrast the 1927 

and the 1993 fl oods. Investigate 

the aftermath of the 1927 fl ood 

as a major factor of the Great 

Migration of African Americans 

to northern cities, using maps 

and timelines, and compare this 

migration to the Underground 

Railroad (see Lesson 3.5 

Mississippi River: Pathway to 

Freedom). Note similarities 

and differences in the routes, 

destination, and reasons for 

migration. 

Learn more online

Learn about fl oods and 

fl oodplains from the U.S. 

Geological Survey 

(www.usgs.gov)

Search keywords: fl oods 

and fl oodplains

Revisit the history of the 

Mississippi River and 

Tributaries Project with the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

(www.mvn.usace.army.mil) 

Search keywords: Mississippi 

River and Tributaries Project

Learn about the 1993 fl ood 

from National Geographic 

(www.nationalgeographic.com)

Search keywords: 1993 Mississippi 

River fl ood

Review fl ood risk scenarios 

online and determine your 

own risk at National Flood 

Insurance Program website 

(www.fl oodsmart.gov)

See Flood Preparedness Plans 

at the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency

(www.fema.gov/kids)

Explore interactive galleries 

and lessons about natural 

disasters at National 

Geographics's Xpeditions website. 

(www.nationalgeographic.com/

xpeditions)

Search keywords: Living 

Landscapes

Learn more about the 1927 

and 1993 fl oods from PBS

(www.pbs.org)

Search keywords: 

Mississippi River fl oods
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | 261

Lesson 4.4

Controlling 

the River: 

Locks and Dams 

on the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction

In Lesson 4.4, students learn how locks and dams make 

the Upper Mississippi River an important travel corridor. 

Students demonstrate how gravity raises or lowers water, 

which helps them understand how watercraft move from 

one lock to the next.

This lesson covers the history of the lock and dam system 

on the Upper Mississippi River, including why and how 

navigation is maintained on the river. Students understand 

why a clear channel is necessary to make the Upper 

Mississippi River a major transportation corridor. 

 Unit 4 goal reminder

Explore the Mississippi 

River at work and how it 

has changed over time

 Lesson goal

Learn how locks and dams make 

it possible to navigate the Upper 

Mississippi River 

 Lesson objectives

• Explore how locks and dams 

changed the river

• Discuss the impact on wildlife

• Watch how a lock works

• Build a lock system

 Educational standards

• Science

• Social Studies

• Fine Arts

• Math

• Language Arts

 What you'll need

• Grease pencil 

or permanent marker

• 2 half-gallon milk 

or juice cartons 

• Plastic container 

(about 18” x 24” x 6”) 

• Modeling clay

• Ruler (with centimeters)

• Scissors

• Water to fill plastic 

container 3 cc deep

• Pencil and paper

 How long it will take

• Preparation: 1 hour

• Student Activity: 2 hours 

 What's next!

Going to market up and 

down the river

In this lesson, students study some of the pros 

and cons of taming the river, which relate to 

several social studies standards. The lesson 

also touches on physical science standards as 

students are challenged to create a working lock.

In this lesson, students study some of the pros this lesson, students study some of the pros
UNIT 4

262 | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.4

Background

The upper and lower Mississippi are 

very different rivers. On the Lower 

Mississippi River, there is no need 

for locks. Below the confl uence of the 

Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the 

Mississippi is deep enough and has 

minimal impediments for river travel, 

thanks to several major tributaries that 

feed into it. 

Not so on the Upper Mississippi River. 

North of the Mississippi and Missouri 

confl uence, numerous snags, sandbars, 

rapids, and other obstructions made 

river travel diffi cult. The waters of 

the Upper Mississippi River split and 

rejoined in countless side channels, 

producing a dynamic mosaic of islands, 

fl oodplains, wetlands, and river.

During the drought of 1864, the river 

was dry in so many places that there 

was no river traffi c that year. It became 

clear if people were going to depend 

on the Upper Mississippi River for 

transportation and trade, a minimum 

level of depth needed to be maintained. 

Based on gage data and engineering 

judgment, a low water mark was 

established. In 1878, Congress 

authorized the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers to establish a 4.5-foot deep 

channel. This eventually became the 

9-foot channel we have today. 

Early improvements of the Mississippi 

River above Cairo, Illinois, consisted 

mostly of removal of snags and closure 

of sloughs to confi ne low-water fl ows to 
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | 263

Lesson 4.4

1830s

Federal government 

authorizes removal of 

snags, shoals, and sand 

bars. Backwater is closed 

to keep more water in the 

main channel and rocks are 

dynamited and excavated 

to remove the rapids and 

deepen the water. 

1930

Congress authorizes a 

9-foot-deep, 300-foot-wide 

channel to accommodate 

large towboats and barges. 

The construction of a 

system of 29 locks and 

dams created a “staircase” 

of deep-water pools that 

helps maintain consistent 

channel depth and allows 

tugboats and barges to 

travel safely up and down 

the river. 

1878

Congress authorizes 

the maintenance of a 

4.5-foot-deep channel, 

and several locks are 

built to bypass rapids. 

Cities built on fl ood 

plains build levees 

for protection against 

fl ooding.

1907

Congress authorizes a 

6-foot-deep channel. 

Wing dams are built. 

These are essentially low 

dikes made of rocks and 

brush that extend from 

the river bank toward 

the channel. They force 

water into the central 

channel, which scours 

the channel deeper.

River Management Timeline

the main channel. Later, dredging and 

other channel improvements made the 

river navigable as far north as St. Paul 

and Minneapolis in Minnesota. 

The Mississippi River became 

completely navigable from New Orleans 

to St. Paul with the opening of the 

Moline Lock that bypassed Illinois Rock 

Island Rapids in 1907.

In 1930, Congress authorized 

construction of a 9-foot channel 

between Minneapolis and the mouth of 

the Illinois River, just above St. Louis, 

providing for the construction of locks 

and dams. Dams were built on shallow 

rivers to hold back water and form 

deeper navigation pools with a constant 

minimum water depth of 9 feet in the 

channel for safe navigation. These 

dams make it necessary for river 

vessels to use a series of locks to “step” 

up or down the river from one water 

level to another.

Construction of these structures 

occurred mostly in the 1930s and 1940s 

and resulted in a total of 29 locks and 

dams. This system created what is 

commonly called a “Stairway of Water” 

as the Mississippi falls 420 feet from 

the Falls of St. Anthony in Minnesota 

to Locks #27 in Granite City, Illinois. 

The dams create slack-water pools for 

navigation during periods of low and 

medium fl ows. The locks pass river 

traffi c from one pool to another, like a 

stairway of water.
UNIT 4

A variety of different river management 

techniques are used for both navigation 

and fl ood risk management. Some of 

these are natural, including preserving 

or restoring natural areas that help 

maintain functioning ecosystems and 

the benefi ts they provide. Others are 

structural, such as the locks and dams 

built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

However, these structures come at an 

environmental cost. They interfere 

with natural river processes on the 

Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, 

essentially changing free-fl owing rivers 

into a string of reservoirs.

264 | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.4

Managing the Upper Mississippi River

Bendway Weirs

Relocation from 

fl oodplain to 

highlands

Dikes

direction of water flow
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | 265

Lesson 4.4

• Relocating people to higher ground 

helps protect homes and businesses 

when large fl oods inundate the 

fl oodplain.

• Dikes (aka Wing Dams) are structures 

that direct the fl ow of water. There are 

several types of dikes on the Upper 

Mississippi River. 

• Bendway Weirs are stone structures 

placed underwater in the deepest part 

of rive bends. They reduce the need for 

dredging and create river currents that 

are easier to navigate. 

• Off Bank Revetments stabilize eroding 

riverbanks by placing rocks in the river 

parallel to the bank. This avoids the 

need to grade the bank and allows 

natural vegetation to grow.

• Pile Dikes are rows of wooden posts 

driven into the riverbed. As the river 

fl ows through them, it makes patterns 

in the riverbed and collects wooden 

debris, which create habitat for fi sh.

• Chevron Dikes are arch-shaped rock 

structures that point upstream. They 

work with the fl ow of the water to 

create fi sh habitat.

• Locks and Dams make the Upper 

Mississippi River navigable year-round 

by maintaining a channel of at least 

nine feet in depth. 

• W Dikes help control sediment 

distribution and maintain navigable 

channel depths.

• Notched Dikes allow water and 

sediment to fl ow near riverbanks, 

which can create habitats for fi sh and 

wildlife, such as islands and sediment 

deposits. 

• Bullnoses protect islands from erosion 

and create habitat for aquatic life.

• Wetlands absorb fl oodwaters like 

a sponge. Preserving or restoring 

wetlands helps prevent major fl oods. 

• Hard Points are short rock structures 

that protect riverbanks from erosion 

and create fi sh habitat.

Off-Bank 

Revetment

Pile Dike

Chevron

Lock and Dam

W Dike

Notched 

Dikes

Conversion of 

agricultural lands 

to wetlands

Wetlands

Hard Points

Bullnose direction of water flow

Water Management Structures and Techniques
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi W

UNIT 4

266 | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.4

Discussion (60–90 minutes)

Remind students that earlier in this unit 

we talked about early navigation and 

how much human effort was required 

to get up and down the river. After the 

steamboat was invented, travel on the 

Upper Mississippi River was faster and 

easier, but travel was often delayed and 

even prevented by the unpredictable 

nature of the river and its changing 

water levels. 

Ask students if they have heard the 

expression “water seeks its own level” 

and what they think it means. Explain 

how gravity allows water to fl ow 

downhill. Locks use gravity to raise or 

lower the water, much like fi lling and 

emptying a bathtub. 

Use the online video and animations 

from the sources listed below to allow 

students to explore how locks and dams 

work in more detail. 

Finally, discuss how locks changed 

navigation on the Upper Mississippi 

River, including their impact on wildlife 

and the environment. 

Online sources

• 30-minute video (in three 

9- to 10-minute segments) 

about the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers’ mission on 

the Upper Mississippi River 

from the Pentagon Channel. 

Go to www.youtube.com

and search for the titles of 

the following segments: 

RECON The Big Muddy 

• Live cam of real-time 

images from Lock and Dam 

25 on the Mississippi River 

near Winfi eld, Missouri. Go 

to https://webcam.crrel.

usace.army.mil

• Flash animation showing 

how locks work. Go to 

www.teachengineering.com

and search keywords locks 

and dams

• 10-minute video of a 

dredge boat in action at 

PBS station KETC’s website. 

Go to www.ketc.org and 

search keywords dredge 

video. Then choose “dredge 

boat” from the list. This 

video is also available on 

www.youtube.com

Before lock and dam After lock and dam
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | 267

Lesson 4.4

Locking Through

The three steps in the “LOCKING THROUGH” process are shown below. 

Notice that the water fl ows moves by gravity, not pumps.

For a boat going downstream (towards 

the mouth of the river), the lock chamber 

is fi rst fi lled by opening the fi lling valve. 

The drain valve and upstream and 

downstream gates are closed, so the level 

of the water in the chamber rises to the 

upstream level. The upstream gate opens 

and the boat moves in.

To lower the boat, the gates are closed 

behind it, the fi lling valve is closed, and 

the drain valve is opened. The higher 

water in the lock chamber drains to the 

downstream level within minutes. The 

downstream gate is then opened and the 

boat moves out on the lower water level. 

The process is reversed for a boat going 

upstream (towards the headwaters). 

Downstream 

gates closed

fl ow of river

Downstream gates closed

Downstream gates open

Drain valve closed

Drain valve open

Drain valve open

Upstream 

gates open

Upstream gates closed

Upstream gates closed

Filling valve open

Filling valve closed

Filling valve closed

Lock chamber

Lock chamber

Lock chamber

Use this diagram as 

the answer key for 

page 271 activity.

Teacher

 Tip
UNIT 4

268 | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.4

Grades

5–6

Group or 

individual activity

This activity allows students to demonstrate how gravity raises 

or lowers water using milk cartons and water. This activity will 

help students understand how water levels change without 

pumps, allowing watercraft to move from one lock to the next. 

Students also use math to measure volume and compare 

amounts at the start and end of the activity. Then they report 

their fi ndings in an essay.

Do This

Part 1:

1. Have students work in pairs to do this activity. 

2. After they complete step 5, have students calculate the 

volume in each carton and record their fi ndings on the 

Student Activity Worksheet on page 270.

• Measure the depth of each carton and calculate the 

volume in cubic centimeters (cc). Volume = length x 

width x depth.

• Compare the difference in volume between 

cartons A and B.

3. Have the students explain the outcomes in a threeparagraph essay.

Part 2:

Ask students to put the images in order and complete the labels 

in the Student Activity Sheet on page 271. 

Leveling 

 the Water

Activity

What you'll need

• Grease pencil or 

permanent marker

• 2 half-gallon milk 

or juice cartons 

• Plastic container 

(about 18" x 24" x 6") 

• Modeling clay

• Ruler (with centimeters)

• Scissors

• Water to fill plastic 

container 3 cc deep

• Pencil and paper

• Activity worksheets 

(pages 270-271)

• 15 min. for 

preparation

• 1 hour for student 

activity
Activity may be completed as a 

demonstration project, individually, 

or in collaborative pairs. For the 

assessment, students should draw 

their conclusions independently.

Teacher

 Tip

UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | 269

Lesson 4.4

Experiment with Water Levels 

Poke one hole 1 cm from the bottom of each carton. 

Place both cartons inside the container. 

a. Remove the clay from Carton A. Make sure the hole 

is open. Wait about 5 minutes and measure inside 

Carton A. Record water level.

b. Remove the clay from Carton B. Make sure the hole 

is open. Wait about 5 minutes and measure inside 

Carton B. Record water level.

Cover the hole with clay. 

a. Measure and draw a line inside 4 cm from the 

bottom of Carton A. 

b. Measure and draw a line inside 12 cm from the 

bottom of Carton B.

Cut the tops off the two milk cartons (Cartons A and B), 

about 12 centimeters (cm) from the top. 

Pour water into the container 5 cm deep. 

a. Pour water up to the 4 cm line in Carton A. 

b. Pour water up to the 12 cm line in Carton B. 

2

5

3

1

4
270 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Be a Water Leveler

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Once you have demonstrated how water seeks its own level, answer the 

following questions.

Record your water data

Beginning depth of water in carton A _____________cm

Beginning volume in carton A _____________cc 

(volume = _______length x _______width x _______depth)

Beginning depth of water in carton B _____________cc

Beginning volume in carton B _____________cc 

(volume = _______length x _______width x _______depth)

Difference in volume of water in carton A and B ____________________cc

Ending volume in carton A ____________________cc

Ending volume in carton B ____________________cc

Write a three-paragraph essay describing the outcome of your 

experiment. Use the data you gathered in your essay. You may need 

extra paper to complete this assignment. 
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 271

Get Ready

Have students play the virtual lock game with the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Bobber the Water Safety Dog. 

Go to www.bobber.info and choose Lock Game. 

Number these illustrations in correct order and complete the labels 

by circling the words open or closed next to all gates and valves.

Gate: open / closed 

Gate: open / closed 

Valve: open / closed 

Valve: open / closed 

Gate: open / closed 

Gate: open / closed 

Valve: open / closed 

Valve: open / closed 

Gate: open / closed 

#

#

#

Valve: open / closed 

Gate: open / closed 

Valve: open / closed 

fl ow of river
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi W

UNIT 4

272 | 4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.4

Extension Suggestions

 Career launch

Invite a local 

Lock Master to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

• Go watch a real lock at work.

• Tour a lock and dam facility.

• Get in a canoe or sailboat and 

go locking through (you should 

be an experienced paddler to go 

through by yourself).

Express yourself!

• Build your own lock and dam 

model or contact the U. S. Army 

Corps Engineers offi ce near you 

to see if they have a model you 

can test. 

• Make an engineering drawing 

of your lock and dam.

Learn more online

Visit the National Park Service 

(www.nps.gov)

Search keywords: Locks and Dams

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

is responsible for operating and 

maintaining all locks and dams 

along the Mississippi River. Learn 

about Mississippi River Locks and 

Dams operated by the Corps at 

www.mvp.usace.army.mil

Search keywords: Locks and Dams

Study locks and dams at 

Teach Engineering

(www.teachengineering.com)

Search keywords: Dams

Illinois Waterway

- The Mississippi River is not the only major river 

that was dammed during the New Deal. 

- The Illinois Waterway features eight navigation locks 

and dams that were constructed during the 1930s. 

- The Illinois River drains 30,000 square miles 

of the Upper Mississippi River watershed.

Melvin Price Locks and Dam

- Melvin Price Locks and Dam was the fi rst replacement 

structure on the Upper Mississippi River nine-foot 

navigation project. It replaced Lock and Dam No. 26, 

which was demolished in 1990.

- It is named after Illinois Congressman Charles Melvin Price.

- Every year, more than 8,000 vessels and over 60 million 

tons of cargo pass through Melvin Price Locks and Dam.

- Although located on the Mississippi River, Melvin 

Price Locks and Dam controls the water level of the 

lower 80 miles of the Illinois River.
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System | 273

Lesson 4.5

To Market!

To Market! 

Our Inland Waterway System

Introduction

Lesson 4.5, explores the role of the Mississippi River as 

part of the Inland Waterway system and its role as a vital 

economic artery. Students read a navigation chart and plan a 

journey from the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence 

Seaway to the Gulf of Mexico. 

Background

The Mississippi River 

is the heart of a vast system 

of inland waterways that 

connects over 25,000 miles 

of navigable waters in the 

United States, including the 

Illinois Waterway, the navigable Missouri and Ohio 

Rivers, and the Intracoastal Waterway. It forms most of 

a waterway linking the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway 

with the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Unit 4 goal reminder

Explore the Mississippi 

River at work and how it 

has changed over time

 Lesson goal

Understand the river’s role as 

a vital economic interstate

 Lesson objectives

• Learn which products go up the 

river and which go down

• Compare modes of 

transportation: river, rail, 

and road

• Create a virtual trip from the 

Atlantic Ocean through the 

St. Lawrence Seaway to the 

Gulf of Mexico

• Read a navigational chart

 Educational standards

• Science

• Social Studies

• Math

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Confl uence: The River 

Heritage of St. Louis Video

• Highlighters

• Computers

• Access to the Internet

• Microsoft PowerPoint 

software

• Wall map

 How long it will take

• Activity 1: 1 hour

• Activity 2: 2.5 hours

 What’s next!

What does it mean to share 

the Upper Mississippi River?

Students use what they learned about 

Mississippi River navigation and commerce 

in previous lessons to plan a virtual trip on 

the Inland Waterway System. This activity 

allows them to practice mapping, math, and 

computer skills as well as language arts. 

t

Students use what they learned about

Atlan

St. La

Gulf

• Read

Students use what they learned about
UNIT 4

274 | 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.5

Ships became able to travel from 

the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint 

Lawrence Seaway to the Gulf of Mexico 

after the Illinois and Michigan Canal 

was constructed in 1848. This canal 

connected Lake Michigan and the 

Illinois River. Later, locks and dams 

were built on the Illinois Waterway to 

improve navigation.

The Mississippi River serves as our 

nation’s main transportation artery for 

gas, oil, fertilizer, industrial chemicals, 

lumber, pulp and paper, sand and 

gravel, steel, and coal. Corn, soybeans, 

and wheat are shipped from farms in 

the Midwest downriver to ports in south 

Louisiana and exported to foreign lands.

Large groups of barges are lashed 

together and pushed up and down the 

Mississippi River at 4 to 8 miles per 

hour by 10,000-horsepower towboats, 

delivering more than 400 million tons 

of bulk cargo each year. 

These tows are an extremely effi cient 

mode of transportation, moving about 

22,500 tons of cargo as a single unit. They 

make it possible to move large volumes 

of bulk commodities long distances 

using less fuel and creating less pollution 

per ton mile than trucks or trains. They 

also make highways and railways less 

congested. A single 15-barge tow is 

equivalent to about 225 railroad cars 

or 870 tractor-trailer trucks. If the cargo 

transported on the inland waterways 

each year had to be moved by another 

mode, it would take an additional 6.3 

million rail cars or 25.2 million trucks to 

carry the load.

Hazardous Materials Spills

Barges spill fewer gallons of fuel per 

one million ton-miles.

This vital shipping channel is maintained 

by dredging. The Upper Mississippi 

River is made navigable by 29 locks and 

dams, which allow giant barges to travel 

as far north as Minneapolis. The U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers is responsible 

for investigating, developing and 

maintaining the nation’s water and related 

environmental resources.

However, modern navigation comes at 

both an environmental and fi nancial cost. 

Maintaining and operating the locks and 

dams along the river takes a great deal of 

money, and dredging and damming the 

river causes environmental damage.

Sources: National Park Service, Texas Transportation Institute, and

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Rate of Spills in Gallons per 

Million Ton-miles

Spills of more than 1,000 gallons

Source: National Waterways Foundation. 

Advantages of Inland Waterways Transport: 

Safeguarding Our Health and the Environment.
UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System | 275

Lesson 4.5

Need to Know

• Coal is the largest 

commodity by volume 

moving on the inland 

waterways. The country’s 

electric utility industry 

depends on the inland 

waterways for over 20% of 

the coal they consume to 

produce electricity. 

• Petroleum is the nextlargest group, including 

crude oil, gasoline, diesel 

fuel, jet fuel, heavy fuel oils, 

and asphalt.

• Another large group 

includes grain and other 

farm products, most of 

which moves by waterway 

to ports on the Lower 

Mississippi River or 

Columbia River for export 

overseas. 60% of the 

country’s farm exports travel 

through inland waterways.

• Other major 

commodities include 

aggregates, such as 

stone, sand, and gravel 

used in construction; 

chemicals, including 

fertilizers; metal ores, 

minerals, and products, 

such as steel; and many 

other manufacturers’ 

products.

Discussion (30 minutes)

You’ll need

• Confl uence: The River Heritage of St. Louis (see page 

220 for more information about the video)

• Wall map

Show students Scene 4, “River Network of the Future” 

from The River Heritage of St. Louis video and discuss 

the goods and products that travel up and down the 

river. Use the wall map to discuss how boats can travel 

from the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico.

Have students research the various products hauled on 

the Mississippi. Ask them which commodities go up the 

river (e.g., coal) and which ones go down (e.g., wheat) 

and why. Discuss and compare hauling products by 

river, rail, and road. 

Fuel Effi ciency

Barges move more tons of cargo 

per gallon of fuel. 

CO2 Emissions

Barges produce less CO2 emissions 

per million ton-miles than trains 

and trucks.

Ton-miles Traveled 

per Gallon of Fuel

Source: National Waterways 

Foundation. Advantages of 

Inland Waterways Transport: 

Safeguarding Our Health and 

the Environment.

Tons of CO2 per 

Million Ton-miles

Source: National Waterways 

Foundation. Advantages of 

Inland Waterways Transport: 

Safeguarding Our Health and 

the Environment.
UNIT 4

276 | 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 4.5

Grades

5–6

Individual or small 

group activity

Activity

Plan a Virtual Trip

 on Inland Waterways

 • 30 minutes to 

explain assignment 

and answer initial 

questions (longer if 

unfamiliar with the 

software).

Students create a PowerPoint presentation of a virtual trip on inland 

waterways from the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence 

Seaway to the Gulf of Mexico.

Do This

1. The students will create a PowerPoint presentation that is 

a virtual fi eld trip: Trace the path from the Atlantic Ocean 

through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Gulf of Mexico.

2. Break students into groups and assign each group a 

section of the voyage (e.g., Chicago to St. Louis, St. Louis 

to New Orleans).

3. Presentations may include (they should use their 

imaginations):

• Products

• Various watercraft

• Water safety signs

• Wildlife seen along the way

• Ports of call

4. Each group will produce a PowerPoint presentation (or part of 

one) with pictures and/or graphics plus narrative in the form of 

words or audio.

5. Each group will present their slideshow to the class.

What you’ll need

• Computers

• Microsoft PowerPoint 

software

• Wall map

• Internet

If PowerPoint is not an option, have 

students create a paper slide show 

using large index cards or half sheets 

of notebook paper.

Teacher

 Tip
UNIT 4

 Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System | 277

Lesson 4.5

Students use a navigation chart of the 

Upper Mississippi River to trace a safe 

water route.

If you travel by boat into unfamiliar 

waters or go out far enough that you 

can’t see land, you must depend on 

signs just as you do on land. Signs 

on waterways are called Aids to 

Navigation (ATONs). These are the 

road signs of the water. Short-range 

ATONs include buoys, day beacons, 

minor lights, and lighthouses. Longrange aids include satellite beacons 

and GPS systems. 

Have students use the 

navigation chart and 

legend on the next page 

(Map No. 57: River Mile 

475 to 482) to determine 

the safest route past Horse 

Island. (Answer: They should 

draw a line between the red 

(shown in black) and green 

(white) buoys).

Chart Safe Water

nts u

Mis

rout

trav

s or

see

ust

terw

atio

ign

sin

lig

aid

PS

Studen

Upper

waterr

If you t

waters

can’ts

signsj

on wat

Naviga

road s

ATONs

minor

range

andG

Grades

7–12

Individual activity

Commercial fi shermen 

catch over 11 million 

pounds of fi sh on the 

Upper Mississippi each 

year. They must know 

a great deal about fi sh 

behavior and habitat, 

state and federal 

regulations, and boat 

maintenance, 

operation, and 

navigation. 

Upper Grade Level Activity 1

Then ask students to use the map 

and legend to answer the following 

questions on a separate piece of paper:

1. How many river miles between 

Lafarge Lights and Black Hawk Dock? 

Answer: 1.4 river miles

2. Which way should you go around Horse 

Island? Answer: Around its east side in 

between the red (shown in black) and 

green (white) buoys

3. Can you anchor at the dotted line at 

Horse Island? Answer: No
278 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Enlarged section of

Map No. 57 of the 

Upper Mississippi 

River (Miles 475–482)

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Navigate the Mississippi River

Use this navigation chart and legend to 

determine the safest downstream route past 

Horse Island. Remember, lights and buoys 

are the traffi c signs on rivers. Your course 

should take you between the green (shown 

in white) and red (shown in black) buoys.

Highlight your route with a pen or 

highlighter. Answer the following questions 

on a separate piece of paper: 

1. How many river miles between Lafarge 

Lights and Black Hawk Dock? 

2. Which way should you go around 

Horse Island? 

3. Can you anchor at the dotted line at 

Horse Island?
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

Extension Suggestions E

UNIT 4

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System | 279

Lesson 4.5

How Much 

Does It 

Carry?

(Standard 

modal 

freight unit 

capacities)

 Career launch

Invite a local 

towboat captain

to speak to the 

class. Ask students 

to research the fi eld 

and prepare questions in advance. 

See A1: Career Launch on page 312 

for career information and 

professional associations.

Get out!

• Take a real fi eld trip up the 

Mississippi River.

• Go watch a working dock 

in action.

Express yourself!

Imagine what it would be like to 

take your virtual trip and write 

a fi ctional travelogue. Use Mark 

Twain’s Life on the Mississippi

as inspiration.

Learn more online

Learn how navigational 

techniques change when people 

travel by land, sea, air, or space at 

the Teach Engineering website

(www.teachengineering.org)

Search keywords: navigation

Learn about nautical charts 

on the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) website. Go to www.

noaa.gov and search keywords: 

nautical charts

Go to the Department of 

Commerce website to learn more 

about commerce in the U.S.. Go 

to www.commerce.gov

Learn about the role of the 

U.S. Coast Guard (www.uscg.mil)

• Izaak Walton League of America (www.iwla.org)

• National Waterways Foundation 

(www.nationalwaterwaysfoundation.org)

• National Audubon Society (www.audubon.org)

• Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org)

• Sierra Club (www.sierraclub.org)

• Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University 

(tti.tamu.edu)

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (www.usace.army.mil)

• U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration 

(www.marad.dot.gov)

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (www.fws.gov)

• Waterways Council, Inc. (www.waterwayscouncil.org)

What do the numbers tell us?

That depends on whose numbers you use. Research 

data on barge, rail, and truck comparisons to see how 

many different sets of statistics you can fi nd. Try to 

locate sources with different points of view, such as 

industry groups versus environmental organizations. 

These sources below are a good place to start.

Upper Grade Level Activity 2

Grades

7–12

Individual 

activity
280 | 5.0 A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Unit 5

A Shared Resource –

Our Mississippi River

Unit 5: A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River is a culmination of 

everything students have learned in the previous four units. In this 

unit, students synthesize the knowledge and skills learned to problemsolve a variety of solutions for managing and conserving the Upper 

Mississippi River while allowing for a variety of uses, from navigation 

to recreation. This unit requires several higher-level skills, including 

communication, problem solving, and compromise. 
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.0 A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River | 281

5.0 Introduction to A Shared Resource –

Our Mississippi River: Pre- and Post-Assessments

Prepare students for learning about what it means to share the 

Upper Mississippi River through pre- and post-assessments, key 

concepts and vocabulary, and an investigation of major uses and 

concerns about the river.

5.1 Sharing Our River: One River, Many Uses –

Playing it Safe on the Mississippi

Students explore in more depth how different people use the 

river and teach younger grades about water safety.

5.2 Managing Our River for Everyone:

Competing Views and Values

After working in groups to brainstorm 

how communities should rebuild after 

a devastating fl ood, students research, 

interview, and debate the issues from four 

key points of view.

5.3 Caring for Our River: 

Protecting Our Precious Resource

The fi nal lesson encourages environmental 

stewardship by asking students to take an 

active part in caring for the river by engaging 

in a service project or designing a service 

learning opportunity of their own.
UNIT 5

282 | 5.0 A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Introduction

In this introduction to Unit 5: A Shared Resource – 

Our Mississippi River, students explore the larger 

issues involved in sharing a natural resource for 

diverse interests and uses. They will research primary 

sources, such as public meeting minutes and reports, 

to familiarize themselves with the river-related issues 

and decisions facing their communities. The knowledge 

gained from this research provides them with the context 

they need to discuss, collaborate, and compromise with 

different points of view. It also helps prepare them for 

the role-playing exercises in the following lessons.

Introduction to 

A Shared Resource —

Our Mississippi River

Unit 5 goal

Explore what it means to 

safely share the Upper 

Mississippi River

Lesson objectives

• Defi ne shared resource

• Investigate Mississippi River 

issues and concerns

• Discuss how we share 

this resource and the 

students’ responsibilities 

in protecting it

Educational standards

• Life Science

• Science in Personal and Social 

Perspectives

What you’ll need

• Internet access

How long it will take

• Activity 1: 15 min.

• Discussion: 1 hour

• Activity 2: 1 hour plus student 

research time

What’s next?

Sharing and playing safely on 

the Mississippi River

Unit 5 is the capstone for all the units. In this set of lessons students will 

demonstrate what they learned in previous lessons by teaching others 

and debating river-related issues. Multiple standards touched upon in 

this unit include Science, Language Arts, Fine Arts and Social Studies. In 

this lesson, Science in Personal and Social Perspectives and Language 

Arts standards are the focus. Students will investigate river-related issues 

and concerns so they can begin to formulate their perspective on how to 

manage and share the river.

Unit 5 is the capstone for all the units In this set of les 5 is the capstone for all the units. In this set of lessons student
UNIT 5

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.0 A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River | 283

Activity 1 Introduction 5.0

Pre- and Post-

 Assessment

Do This

1. Copy and distribute the Pre- and Post-Assessment activity 

worksheet on the following pages.

2. Allow 15 minutes for students to complete the assessment. 

3. Save the pre-assessments to compare with a post-assessment 

given after students complete all the lessons in this unit using 

this same activity worksheet. 

4. Calculate each student’s percent increase in knowledge. 

What you’ll need

• Activity worksheet 

(pages 284–285)

The life in us is like the water in the 

river. It may rise this year higher than 

man has ever known it, and fl ood the 

parched uplands; even this may be the 

eventful year, which will drown out all 

our muskrats. It was not always dry 

land where we dwell. I see far inland the 

banks where the stream anciently washed, 

before science began to record its freshets.

– Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), Walden, 1854

Need to Know

• Shared resource: An entity shared 

by many. At school, you share the 

playground with other students. The 

playground is a shared resource. 

• The Upper Mississippi River is a 

shared resource. It supports diverse, 

interconnected uses:

- Extensive navigation system (made 

up of 1,200 miles of nine-foot channel 

and 29 lock and dam sites).

- Diverse ecosystem (2.7 million acres 

of habitat supporting hundreds of 

fi sh and wildlife species)

- Floodplain agriculture

- Recreation and tourism

Answers to the essay questions will vary. Information needed to 

complete the questions can be found in the previous units.

Answer Key
284 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

Unit 5 Assessment

Name ________________________________________________ Date __________________

Essay questions

1. Describe the Mississippi River Watershed.

2. What can you do to help the river’s ecosystem?
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 285

3. What historical event do you think had the biggest impact on the river? 

Explain why you think so.

4. What do you think can be done to reduce fl ood damage along the 

Mississippi River?

5. Choose an occupation, business developer or environmentalist, 

and describe the future you see for the Mississippi River.
UNIT 5

Introduction 5.0

286 | 5.0 A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Background

The Mississippi River plays a large and 

complex role in the economy of the 

Upper Midwest states, both in rural and 

urban areas. Some economic uses, such 

as manufacturing, urban development, 

and tourism, benefi t from a healthy river 

as well as attract people and jobs.

The Upper Mississippi River is 

losing its ecological vitality as parts 

of the fragile ecosystem disappear. 

The river’s environment needs to be 

adequately monitored by observing 

indicator species and preventing habitat 

reduction, which could also pose risks 

to human health. Much of the harm 

done to the Upper Mississippi over the 

last 150 years can be traced to human 

activities. An early example appears in 

Unit 4 with the major forests harvested 

to supply wood for steamboats. Modern 

hazards include pollution from toxic 

chemicals, nutrients, and pathogens.

Progress has been made to improve 

the environment but many parts of the 

river system remain in need of help. The 

cumulative effects of these problems 

may further impact human use and 

enjoyment of the river.

Discussion (1 hour)

Begin the discussion by talking about 

sharing. We learn about sharing at an 

early age. However, we don’t always 

share nicely because we think what we 

want is more important than what others 

want or need. Sometimes we need to put 

our own wants aside and help others.

Then have students watch the short 

(less than 2 minutes) video called The 

Great Rivers Partnership, available on 

www.youtube.com. Search keywords 

Explore the Mississippi River by Nature 

Conservancy. 

Talk about why we must share the river 

in a way that meets the needs of all who 

depend on it in a sustainable way so that 

this vital resource will support people and 

wildlife for generations to come.

Review key concepts from Units 2 and 4 

and discuss transportation, commerce, 

agriculture, recreation, and conservation:

• Who uses the river? How do they use 

the river? 

- Humans use it for work, agriculture, 

transportation, and play. 

- Plants and animals live there

and use it for migration. 

• Discuss how we share this resource 

and the students’ responsibilities in 

protecting it.

Review previous lessons and activities:

• Car washing and drinking water 

– Units 1 and 2

• Wetlands and migration – Unit 2

• Locks and Dams – Unit 4

• Human Actions on the Mississippi 

– Units 1 through 4
UNIT 5

Introduction 5.0

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.0 A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River | 287

Grades

5–6

Activity 2

Individual activity

Investigating

 the Mississippi River

Issues and Concerns

Students explore primary and secondary sources to discover a 

broad range of opinions on a river-related topic and summarize 

the key concerns.

Do This

1. Ask students to research a river-related issue in their community and 

choose one that has the broadest range of opinions about the nature 

of the problem and its possible causes and solutions. 

• Look for notes or videos from public and city council meetings 

and public involvement reports from government agencies, 

such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers.

• The list of government agencies and regional groups on 

page 288 are potential sources for this activity.

2. Ask students to summarize the variety of opinions they fi nd and 

add their own to the end of their summary.

What you’ll need

• Access to the Internet

Plus student 

research time

Option

Instead of asking students to do their own 

research, provide them with the following 

primary sources:

1. Public involvement report from 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

• Go to www.fws.gov and search 

keywords Upper Mississippi River 

National Wildlife and Fish Refuge 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan.

• Download and print “Chapter 2: 

Consultation and Coordination with 

the Public and Others” from Upper 

Mississippi River National Wildlife 

and Fish Refuge’s Comprehensive 

Conservation Plan.

2. Public meeting minutes from the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Download and print “St. LouisNavigation Study Public Meeting 

Minutes from March 13, 2002.”

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(Corps) public meeting minutes. 

• Go to http://www2.mvr.usace.

army.mil/UMRS/NESP and click on 

Projects. Choose Meeting Minutes.

• Navigate to St. Louis-Navigation 

Study Public Meeting Minutes from 

March 13, 2002. Download and print.

3. Video of a St. Paul, Minnesota, City 

Council meeting.

• Go to www.stpaul.gov. Choose City 

Council, then Meetings: Videos, 

Agendas, and Meetings. 

• Search for Mississippi River.

Teacher

 Tip

Make this activity more 

dynamic by asking students 

to attend a city hall or other 

public meeting.
288 | 5.0 A Shared Resource – Our Mississippi River | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 5

Introduction 5.0

Extension Suggestions

A variety of government agencies (state, 

regional, or federal) and non-governmental 

organizations (NGOs) are involved in making 

decisions about the Mississippi River.

 Federal Agencies

- EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

and Research Program (LTMRP)

- U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Natural Resources 

Conservation Services (NRCS)

- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

 Career launch

Invite a local city 

council member 

farmer, towboat 

operator, or 

fi sherman to speak to 

the class. Ask students to research 

the fi eld and prepare questions in 

advance. See A1: Career Launch on 

page 312 for career information and 

professional associations.

Express yourself!

• Ask students to write a 

poem, draw a picture, or 

paint a painting of how they 

are connected to the Upper 

Mississippi River. 

• Have students write letters to 

their city council or other local 

government offi cial to share 

their concerns about how the 

Upper Mississippi River is 

managed for multiple uses.

Get out!

Arrange fi eld trips to see different 

users of the Mississippi in action, 

such as riding on a barge, visiting 

a farmer’s fi eld, or helping U.S. 

Fish & Wildlife with environmental 

research and restoration projects.

Learn more online

Learn about the Navigation and 

Ecosystem Sustainability Program 

(NESP) website. Go to www2.mvr.

usace.army.mil/UMRS/NESP/

Learn about Great Rivers 

Partnerships from the 

Nature Conservancy. 

Go to www.nature.org and 

search keywords Explore 

Mississippi River

Learn more about U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers Civil Works

Go to www.corpsresults.us/

environment/default.htm

 Regional Groups

- United States Geological Survey’s 

Long Term Monitoring and Research 

Program (LTMRP)

- Upper Mississippi River Conservation 

Committee (UMRCC)

- Upper Mississippi River Basin Association 

(UMRBA)

- Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation 

Commission (ORSANCO)

- Upper Mississippi River Basin Task Force

- Lower Mississippi River Conservation 

Committee (LMRCC)

 State Agencies

- State Water Quality Agencies

Source: The Mississippi River in the Upper Midwest: Its Economy, 

Ecology, and Management, from the McKnight Foundation, Traveling 

Upstream: Improving Water Quality of the Mississippi River, 

prepared for the McKnight Foundation (www.mcknight.org) 
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.1 Sharing Our River: One River, Many Uses... | 289

Lesson 5.1

UNIT 5

 Unit 5 goal reminder

Explore what it means to 

safely share our river

 Lesson goal

Learn how to share the 

river safely 

 Lesson objectives

• Research the different types 

of water safety 

• Identify key elements

of water safety

• Teach younger kids in your 

school about water safety

 Educational Standards

• Science in Personal

and Social Perspectives

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Access to the Internet

• Poster material

• Life jackets

• Safety cones

• Colored paper

• 8.5x11 white paper

• Markers and/or crayons

• Glue

• Tape

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 30 min.

• Activity 1: Several hours

to several days

• Activity 2: 30 min.

 What’s next?

Problem-solving solutions to 

manage the Mississippi River 

for a variety of uses 

and needs

Sharing

Our River:

One River, Many Uses – 

Playing it Safe on the Mississippi

Introduction

In this lesson, students explore how different people use the 

river in more depth, with an emphasis on safety. Students 

research water safety and prepare an activity to teach 

younger grades about water safety.

Background

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and 

the U.S. Coast Guard are the federal 

agencies most concerned with water 

safety. The Corps is the leading 

provider of water-based recreation 

on all federally managed public 

lands in the United States. Because 

most of that recreation occurs in 

and around water, the Corps is 

dedicated to water safety. 

In past lessons, students have learned about the 

river’s ecosystem, its history, and its navigation 

challenges. They learned that the river has 

become a mainstay for wildlife and people 

either through occupation or recreation. This 

lesson focuses on how we can safely share the 

river and its resources, which relates to Science 

in Personal and Social Perspectives. Students 

will incorporate Language Arts and Fine Arts 

standards as they prepare to teach younger 

students about water safety.

In past lessons, students have learned about the
290 | 5.1 Sharing Our River: One River, Many Uses... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 5.1

Discussion (30 minutes)

Can you have fun on the water? The best way to ensure 

a day of fun on the water is to make sure everyone is 

wearing a life jacket so they can return home safely. 

Too often people overestimate their swimming abilities 

on open waters so it is important to swim with a 

buddy, take swimming lessons and learn to swim well. 

Wearing a life jacket is always the best way to play it 

safe. Boaters should take a boater’s education course 

and always be aware of weather and water conditions 

before they venture out for a day of fun on the water.

Begin by reviewing what students have learned 

about the many uses of the Mississippi River and its 

fl oodplain in previous units, including transportation, 

commerce, agriculture, recreation, and conservation. 

Discuss the importance of working and playing on the 

river safely.

Since animals can’t read or understand the rules for 

boats and people, we need to be extra careful when 

around them on the water. When on or near the water, 

whether swimming or boating, we need to steer clear 

of animal and bird habitats, especially breeding areas. 

Invite someone from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

or U.S. Coast Guard to speak to the class. Ask students 

to prepare questions beforehand based on what they 

learned through online research. Let students know 

that they will be teaching younger children about what 

they learned.

 I’ve never pulled a dead body out of the 

Mississippi River that was wearing a life jacket.

 – John Martin, U.S. Coast Guard

Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of

accidental injury or death for children 

ages 1-14.

A child can drown in just 20 seconds, 

an adult in 60 seconds.

Laws and regulations

- Federal law requires all children

under 13 to wear life jackets while on 

recreational boats, unless the state 

laws vary.

- Recreational boats must carry one 

properly sized, U.S. Coast Guardapproved lifejacket (accessible and in

good condition) for each person 

on board.

- Life jackets should be tested for wear 

and buoyancy at least once each year. 

Waterlogged, faded, or leaky jackets

should be discarded.

- A snug-fi tting fl otation coat or decksuit style life jacket can help you

survive in cold water.

UNIT 5

Life Jacket

Lifejackets come in different types that 

provide various levels of protection.

Type I: Off shore Life Jacket

Type II: Near Shore Buoyant Vest

Type III: Flotation Aid
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.1 Sharing Our River: One River, Many Uses... | 291

UNIT 5

Activity 1 Lesson 5.1

Create a Water 

 Safety Poster

Ask students to research water safety with the intention of teaching 

younger school children how to be safe in the water.

Do This

1. Assign each group a water safety topic to research. Help them 

narrow the topic to a specifi c research question or statement. 

For example, life jacket safety can broken down into: 

• Why you should wear a life jacket

• How to choose a life jacket

• How your life jacket should fi t 

• When to wear life jackets, and what rules apply 

on rivers and lakes 

2. Once students have narrowed their safety topic, direct them 

to printed and online sources, such as the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers’ National Water Safety Program and the U.S. Coast 

Guard Boating Safety Resource Center websites. 

3. Ask students to create a water safety poster for younger 

school children.

Grades

5–6

Small group 

(3 students) activity

What you’ll need

• Access to the Internet

• Poster material

• Markers and/or crayons

Several hours or several 

days, depending on 

classroom time devoted 

to research. This activity 

could be assigned as 

homework.

Learn more online

Learn about water safety for kids 

atwww.kidshealth.org and

www.safekids.org. Search 

keywords Water Safety

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 

National Water Safety Program

watersafety.usace.army.mil

Meet Bobber, the Water 

Safety Dog!

www.bobber.info

U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety 

Resources Center

www.uscgboating.org/

View the online Boating Safety 

Study Guide (how to read signs 

for watercraft and know which 

watercraft has the right of 

way) www.boatus.com. Search 

keywords Rules of the Road
292 | 5.1 Sharing Our River: One River, Many Uses... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

UNIT 5

Lesson 5.1

Students turn the schoolyard into a waterway and practice 

navigating marked channels safely. Older students help guide 

younger students through the course, helping them understand 

the rules of the waterway “road.”

Do This

Based on what students learned from their research on boating 

safety, have them set up a watercourse in the schoolyard.

1. Invite someone from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or 

the U.S. Coast Guard to talk to the class about Navigational 

Aids and the Rules of the Road. 

2. Prepare students for the discussion by talking about the 

similarities and differences between roads and waterways. 

• Explain that busy waterways have “lanes of travel” 

similar to the Interstate highway system.

• Instead of meaning stop and go, red and green on 

waterways tell you which side you should be on 

depending on the direction you are traveling. When 

heading upstream (i.e., from the mouth of the river to the 

head of navigation), the red buoys are on the starboard 

(right) side of the channel and the green ones are on the 

port (left) side of the channel.

3. Give each student a life jacket to wear during the activity. 

Have students write and sign a safety pledge promising to 

wear their life jacket at all times when they are on the river.

4. Make 10 buoys, fi ve red and fi ve green, by wrapping 

playground cones with red and green construction paper.

Navigating the Rules

 of the Water Road

What you’ll need

• Life jackets (asks students to 

bring their own)

• Safety cones

• Colored paper

• 8.5x11 white paper

• Markers and/or crayons

• Glue

• Tape

Activity 2

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

Teacher

 Tip

If students don’t have life 

jackets, use stickers or 

make string signs that say 

“life jacket.”
Direction of travel

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.1 Sharing Our River: One River, Many Uses... | 293

UNIT 5

Lesson 5.1

5. Have students make paper boats 

and label them based on different 

types of watercraft to give to the 

younger children.

6. Ask the older students to guide 

the younger ones through the 

buoys using the Rules of the Road. 

Here's a sample watercourse When heading upstream:

Green cone = port or left side

Red cone = starboard or right side

Make it as simple or as complicated as you wish 

depending on how many safety cones you have.

water fl ow

water fl ow

water fl ow

water fl ow
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

294 | 5.1 Sharing Our River: One River, Many Uses... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 5.1

UNIT 5

 Career launch

Invite a local 

U.S. Coast Guard 

member or lock 

master to speak 

to the class. Ask 

students to research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

• Take a lock tour at the 

National Great Rivers 

Museum in Alton, Illinois.

• Arrange a kayak or water boat 

field trip with a certified guide.

• Take a field trip to your local 

U.S. Coast Guard or U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers office to 

learn about safe swimming and 

boating skills.

Express yourself!

• Ask students to create a 

water safety plan for their 

friends and families. 

• Make your own safety fl ags.

Learn more online

Learn about water safety from the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Go 

to www.sas.usace.army.mil/

wtrsafty.htm 

Learn about boating safety 

from the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Go to www.uscgboating.org.

Learn more about water safety 

from the National Recreation and 

Park Association. Go to 

www.nrpa.org and search 

keywords water safety month

Virtual Fun

Play the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers Ranger Buck’s Lock 

Game. Go to www.bobber.info.

To help someone in trouble and keep yourself safe, 

learn these few simple safety rules:

To help someone in the water, reach fi rst with a fi shing pole, 

towel, boat oar, but don’t get in the water yourself.

Scan your area for items such as an empty milk jug, cooler, 

or ring buoys that can be thrown to someone in the water.

It‘s not safe to go near a swimmer with the boat motor running. 

Use the oars to bring the boat close enough to reach or throw.

Without expert training and experience in lifesaving 

techniques, you could put yourself in danger along with 

the person you are trying to help.

Reach

Throw

Row

Don't Go

Teacher 

Tip

U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers has a Safe 

Passage DVD and Water 

Safety K-6 Curriculum 

available. Go to 

watersafety.usace.army.mil 

and click on Safe Passage.

Extension Suggestions
UNIT 5

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.2 Managing Our River for Everyone: Competing Views... | 295

Lesson 5.2

Managing

Our River

for Everyone: 

Competing Views and Values

Introduction

In this lesson students actively engage in the many issues 

and decisions that communities in the fl ood plain of the 

Upper Mississippi must deal with on a regular basis. After 

working in groups to brainstorm how communities should 

rebuild after a devastating fl ood, they have the context they 

need to research, interview, and debate the issues from four 

key points of view.

Background

We depend on the Upper 

Mississippi River and its 

large fl oodplain—more than 

2.5 million acres—for many 

things essential to our health 

and happiness. It is vital that 

future generations learn how 

to restore and maintain this 

living river.

 Unit 5 goal reminder

Explore what it means to 

safely share our river

 Lesson goal

Debate ideas for how to 

sustainably manage the river for 

multiple uses

 Lesson objectives

• Identify issues facing 

communities

• Understand different

points of view

• Brainstorm ideas

• Problem-solve solutions 

 Educational standards

• Life Science 

• Science in Personal

and Social Perspectives

• Social Science

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• Blackboard or fl ipchart

for capturing ideas

• Markers

• Pen and paper

• Access to the Internet

• Guest speakers

 How long it will take

• Discussion: 30 min.

• Activity 1: 45 min.

• Activity 2: 2 hrs.

 What‘s next!

What is YOUR part in 

protecting the river?

Students continue to conduct research and 

analyze data to formulate their arguments 

for the debating activity, which relates to 

Language Arts standard. Having learned 

about the importance of commerce of the 

river, students must think critically about 

how to balance business development with 

caring for the river’s environment, which 

correlates to Science in Personal and Social 

Perspectives standard.

Students Students continue to conduct research and continue to conduct research and
UNIT 5

Lesson 5.2

What do the river and its fl oodplain

do for us?

• Human habitat: More than 30 

million people live in the Mississippi 

River basin. Nearly 80% of the 

population lives in urban areas such 

as Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; 

St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; 

the Quad Cities, Illinois and Iowa; 

Des Moines, Iowa; La Crosse, 

Wisconsin; and Peoria, Illinois.

• Water supply: About half of the 

residents in the Mississippi River 

Watershed rely on the Upper 

Mississippi River and its tributaries 

for their water.

• Food supply: Over 60% of the basin is 

cropland or pasture. Major cash crops 

include corn and soybeans.

• Transportation and commerce: About 

850 miles of the Upper Mississippi 

River, extending from MinneapolisSt. Paul to the Ohio River, are 

commercially navigable.

• Flood control and water quality: 

Wetlands along the river help absorb 

fl ood water and fi lter pollutants. 

• Recreation: The river generates 

over $6.6 billion dollars in revenue 

annually from people who hunt, fi sh, 

boat, or sightsee. Recreation and 

tourism employ 143,000 people.

• Inspiration: More than 1,300 river 

miles of diverse natural, rural, and 

urban open space are available 

for human exploration, education, 

spiritual renewal, and aesthetic 

enjoyment. 

Discussion (30 minutes)

Begin the class discussion with the end 

goal: We must manage the river in a way 

that meets the needs of all who depend 

on it, in a sustainable way, to ensure that 

this vital resource will support people 

and wildlife for generations to come.

Ask students to imagine what they would 

do if they could build their communities 

from scratch. Where would they live? 

How would they get their basic needs 

met? Brainstorm ideas as a class for a 

few minutes before breaking students 

into groups for Activity 1. Once they have 

planned their ideal communities, they 

will be ready for the debate in Activity 2.

The Upper Mississippi River 

System is the only waterbody in the 

nation that has been recognized by 

Congress as a nationally significant 

ecosystem and a nationally significant 

commercial navigation system.

– Water Resources Development Act, 1986. One of 

a series of acts about water resources enacted by 

Congress, it established cost-sharing formulas 

for the construction of harbors, inland waterway 

transportation, and fl ood control projects and 

created hundreds of projects, studies, and plans in 

almost every state in the nation.

296 | 5.2 Managing Our River for Everyone: Competing Views... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River
UNIT 5

Lesson 5.2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.2 Managing Our River for Everyone: Competing Views... | 297

Activity 1

Town Devastated by a Flood -

 Let s Rebuild!

What you’ll need

• Blackboard or fl ipchart 

for capturing ideas

• Markers

• Pen and paper

Grades Do This

5–6

Class or small 

group activity

Your town has been wiped out 

by a catastrophic fl ood! Luckily, 

everyone made it to safety, but you 

must now rebuild from scratch. 

1. Give the students 15 minutes 

to write their ideas or 

possibly make it a homework 

assignment.

2. Have students share the ideas 

with the class, capturing them 

on the board or fl ipchart.

3. Organize students into groups 

of four and present the scenario.

Student instructions

Answer the following questions 

to begin planning your new 

community:

1. Will you rebuild where you 

were (on a fl ood plain) or will 

you move to another location? 

Decide where to build your new 

town and describe why you 

chose that location.

2. How will you meet your basic 

needs for food and shelter?

3. What will be the economic base 

for your new town (business, 

agriculture, recreation, tourism)? 

4. What services do you 

need to provide, such as 

power, water, garbage, 

sewage, transportation, 

education, etc.?

5. How will you protect the 

environment and ensure 

habitat for wildlife?

6. How will you interact 

with other communities 

on the river?

7. How will you sustain all 

of the above?
UNIT 5

Lesson 5.2

298 | 5.2 Managing Our River for Everyone: Competing Views... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Activity 2

What you’ll need

• Access to the Internet

• Guest speakers

Town Hall Meeting

The Art of Dialogue and Compromise

After listening to and asking questions of experts, students 

prepare for and engage in a debate about the issues.

Do This

1. Invite local experts representing diverse points of view to 

help students prepare for a town hall debate. Points of view 

could include:

• Agriculture (commercial fi shing and farming)

• Transportation and navigation (barge industry, civil 

engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

• Commerce and development (Chamber of Commerce, 

city planner)

• Conservation and recreation (e.g., U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Audubon Society, 

Sierra Club)

2. Organize students into groups of four and assign each group 

a point of view. 

3. Have students prepare questions for each point of view, 

focusing on values and ideas for how best to manage the 

river for multiple uses.

4. Match up student groups for a class debate:

• Assign a moderator and a time keeper 

• Students’ arguments must be no more than 1-2 minutes 

per question with equal time for each point of view

Unfortunately, our rivers carry the waste 

into the bay like veins into a heart.

– Patrick Noonan, quoted in Countryside, Winter 1990

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity
UNIT 5

Lesson 5.2

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.2 Managing Our River for Everyone: Competing Views... | 299

Student Instructions

1. Research different points of view on 

how to sustainably manage the river 

for multiple uses.

2. Prepare interview questions for local 

experts representing diverse points 

of view:

• Agriculture (commercial fi shing 

and farming)

• Transportation and navigation 

(barge industry, civil engineer, 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

• Commerce and development 

(Chamber of Commerce, city 

planner)

• Conservation and recreation (U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. 

Fish & Wildlife Service, Audubon 

Society, Sierra Club)

3. Prepare to debate 

your assigned 

point of view. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the steward of 

12 million acres of public lands and waters at more 

than 400 lake and river projects in 43 states. Nearly 

every outdoor recreation activity imaginable is waiting 

for you at one of the Corps’ 2,500 recreation areas. 

Recreational Facilities

• 420 lakes in 43 states 

hosting 33% of all 

freshwater lake fi shing

• 56,000 miles of 

shoreline

• 90,000 campsites

• 3,500 boat launch 

ramps

• 200,000 fi shing 

tournaments a year

• 4,300 miles of trails

• 12 million acres 

hosting 20% of visits 

on 2% of federal lands

Environmental Benefi ts

Recreation experiences increase motivation to 

learn more about the environment; understanding 

and awareness of environmental issues; and 

sensitivity to the environment.

Economic benefi ts

• $5 billion a year on 

recreation equipment, 

creating 95,000 jobs and 

$6.4 billion in value added 

to the nation’s economy. 

• That is $18 billion in 

spending by Corps lake 

visitors and 350,000 

jobs added to the 

nation’s economy. 

• $13 billion a year on triprelated expenses such as 

gas, food, and lodging 

within and outside of 

the local communities 

surrounding Corps lakes, 

leading to 250,000 jobs 

and $16 billion in value 

added (includes wages 

and salaries, payroll 

benefi ts, profi ts, and rents 

and indirect business 

taxes) to the nation’s 

economy. 

 This fi gure includes 

$8 billion spent in local 

communities, resulting 

in 100,000 jobs and 

$3.9 billion in value 

added to the local 

economies. 
300 | 5.2 Managing Our River for Everyone: Competing Views... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 5

 Career launch

Invite a local 

career planner to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

• Attend a local town 

hall meeting.

• Attend a local land-use hearing.

• Attend a legislative session at 

your state capitol building.

• What can your neighborhood 

do? Set up a meeting with 

your neighbors to discuss 

how you can protect your part 

of the river.

Express yourself!

• Ask students to write their state 

representative expressing their 

ideas or concerns about the 

Mississippi River. 

• Form or join a debate team at 

your school. 

Lesson 5.2

Mississippi Queen - River of Dreams

Drifting like a waltz is the river of dreams;

The moon high in the sky loves to touch it with beams.

We all sit by the fi re voices singing;

Our paradise, the Mississippi queen.

Captains in the night know our river of dreams;

They guide beautiful sights like the old Delta Queen.

And time cannot erase music ringing;

Our paradise, the Mississippi queen.

 – Janice B. Cassidy

Learn more online

Visit the American Planning 

Association: Kids and Community 

(www.planning.org)

Search keywords: kids and 

community

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

Civil Works environmental 

program has two major focus 

areas: protection and restoration, 

and stewardship. Go to www.

corpsresults.us/environment/

Read Plotting a Future Course on 

the Mississippi River: Executive 

Summary from The McKnight 

Foundation. Go to www.mcknight.

org/environment/env_eval.aspx

Extension Suggestions
UNIT 5

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource | 301

Lesson 5.3

 Unit 5 goal reminder

Explore what it means to 

safely share our river

 Lesson goal

Adopt a service project or 

design a service learning 

project 

 Lesson objectives

• Research service projects 

for your class and school 

• Do a service project

• Design a science fair project 

on conservation

 Educational standards

• Science in Personal

and Social Perspectives

• Fine Arts

• Language Arts

 What you’ll need

• A guest speaker

 How long will it take?

Depending on project selected

 What’s next!

This is it! Go make a 

difference!

Caring 

for Our River:

Protecting Our Precious Resource

Introduction

The fi nal lesson in this unit encourages environmental 

stewardship by asking students to take an active part in 

caring for the river through a service project or designing a 

service learning opportunity of their own. 

Caring for the river is everyone’s responsibility. The 

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives is the main 

standard addressed in the activities in this lesson. 

Students are tasked with environmental stewardship 

and to “make a difference.” They will research and 

either design or select a service learning project for the 

class, possibly the school. 

g pp y

Caring for the river is everyone’s responsibility. The
UNIT 5

Lesson 5.3

302 | 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Background

What is the difference between a 

service project and a service-learning 

project? According to the National Youth 

Leadership Council: 

• Picking up trash on a riverbank is 

SERVICE.

• Studying water samples under a 

microscope is LEARNING.

• When students collect and 

analyze water samples, document 

results, and present fi ndings to 

the community—that’s SERVICE 

LEARNING. 

Both service projects and service 

learning projects encourage a sense 

of environmental stewardship. Service 

learning engages students personally 

and requires higher-level skills. 

According to Learn and Serve America, 

service learning is a hands-on approach 

to education that integrates meaningful 

community service with instruction 

and refl ection to enrich the learning 

experience, teach civic responsibility, 

and strengthen communities.

Eight trees will offset the amount 

of carbon a person releases by simply 

breathing during an average lifetime.

— M. Sanjayan, lead scientist, Nature Conservancy

Why not plant a few for yourself?

Service learning projects 

Successful service learning projects have 

three distinct phases: preparation, action, 

and refl ection.

Preparation includes:

• Identifying a genuine community need.

• Cultivating student interest in doing 

something about it.

• Researching opportunities, solutions 

and available resources.

• Making clear connections to the 

curriculum.

Action includes:

• Deciding on a project, which includes 

ensuring that all students have input 

into the decision and are willing to 

support and implement the project.

• Partnering with community 

organizations.

• Planning the project by developing 

a work plan.

• Doing the project.

Refl ection includes:

• Asking the following questions at 

each phase of the project:

- “WHAT” questions: “What are we 

doing, what have we accomplished, 

what have we learned?”

- “SO WHAT” questions: “What 

difference does/did it make, why 

should we do it, how is it important, 

how do we feel about it?”
http://www.OurMississippi.org

Welcome to Our Mississippi

UNIT 5

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource | 303

Lesson 5.3

- “NOW WHAT” questions: “What’s next, 

where do we go from here, what has this 

prepared us for?”

• Engaging in refl ective activities such as: 

Doing

- Present a Service Fair. 

- Make a video or slide show.

- Draw a picture.

- Paint a mural.

- Create a collage.

- Make a scrapbook.

- Perform a skit or play.

Writing

- Write a journal (group or individual).

- Write a news article for a local newspaper 

or the school newsletter.

- Write thank you notes to all who were 

involved in the project.

- Write letters to government offi cials.

- Write a paper about the community need 

that was addressed through the project.

Sharing

- Present fi ndings to the community.

- Publish a website.

- Speak at community meetings.

• Elementary children in Florida

studied the consequences of 

natural disasters. The class 

designed a kit for families to 

use to collect their important 

papers in case of evacuation with 

a checklist, tips about rescuing 

pets, and other advice to make 

a diffi cult situation easier, 

which students distributed to 

community members.

• Girl Scouts in West Virginia

investigated the biological 

complexity and diversity of 

wetlands. They presented their 

fi ndings to their Town Council to 

raise awareness of the issues 

concerning local wetlands.

Service learning sources

• Service Learning Partnership: 

www.service-learningpartnership.org

• Learn and Serve America: 

www.learnandserve.gov

• National Service Learning (Learning 

House) www.servicelearning.org

Volunteer organizations:

• Serve.gov

• Corporation for National and Community 

Service: www.nationalservice.gov

• National Youth Leadership Council:

www.nylc.org 

Service Learning

Examples of
UNIT 5

304 | 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 5.3

Do This

Ask students what they can do to help the Mississippi River. 

Depending on time, resources, and level of interest, ask students 

to choose from a list of service projects or develop a service 

learning project of their own.

For both service and service learning projects, brainstorm issues 

that affect the health of the river that students can get involved 

with. Have the students start with their homes and schools and 

expand the discussion to their community, state, and region. 

Identify needs and opportunities

During the brainstorming session, ask students to identify 

needs within the community or opportunities to do something 

benefi cial. Challenge them to think of as many ideas as 

possible. Encourage them to build on each other’s ideas, to be 

spontaneous, to take risks, to think creatively. Then have them 

try to identify the causes behind each need, as well as some 

possible interventions.

Brainstorm solutions

Ask students to generate a list of workable solutions by focusing 

on what can realistically be done. Have each student share what 

they like about each proposed idea as well as their questions 

and concerns. 

Identify resources

Before making a fi nal decision on which project to do, have 

students research the resources available to help or support 

the project. This could include a grant proposal, a business or 

organization in the community, or parent volunteers. Invite 

an individual with expertise in the area of interest in order to 

provide relevant information before a fi nal decision is made.

Discussion 

 Activity

Activity

What you’ll need

• A guest speaker

Broken into 30-minute 

segments over several 

days, plus time for 

student research and 

guest speaker

Grades

5–6

Class or small 

group activity
UNIT 5

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource | 305

Lesson 5.3

Decide on a project

Once the class has a list of possible 

needs and solutions, break them into 

groups to research the feasibility of 

their ideas. Have each group present the 

results to the class and ask them to vote 

on which project the class should do.

Ideas for projects:

• School or community 

recycling project 

• School or community 

composting project

• Schoolyard or community garden

• Water quality monitoring

• Species counts

• River or park cleanups

• Schoolyard or park beautifi cation

• Repairing picnic tables, benches, 

trails, or playground equipment

• Volunteer to make a difference on 

public lands:

- Municipal parks

- State parks

- Federal parks
UNIT 5

306 | 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Lesson 5.3

To help engage students in the 

idea of volunteering their time 

and efforts for a good cause, 

ask them to read the fi ndings 

in the excerpt on the next page 

from “Volunteer Growth in 

America: A Review of Trends 

Since 1974,” Volunteering in 

America by the Corporation 

for National and Community 

Service.

Ask students to work in groups 

to discuss the fi ndings and 

hypothesize about the trends 

described.

Grades

7–12

Small group activity

DISCUSSION EXTENSION

 Career launch

Invite a local 

volunteer to 

speak to the class. 

Ask students to 

research the fi eld and 

prepare questions in advance. See 

A1: Career Launch on page 312 for 

career information and professional 

associations.

Get out!

Encourage students to 

volunteer with groups outside 

of your school.

Express yourself!

Ask students to write a letter to 

another student describing their 

service project or service learning 

experience. 

Grades K–4 extension

• You are never too 

young to volunteer! 

Ask students what 

they could do to help 

the river. 

• Have students write lyrics to 

a song that will help them 

remember the Recycle, Reuse, 

and Reduce principle.

Upper Grade Level Activity

•

Extension Suggestions
www.OurMississippi.org | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 307

Caring for the 

Upper Mississippi River:

Volunteering in America

Name ______________________________________ Date _______________

Read, analyze, and hypothesize

1. Read the excerpt below from “Volunteer Growth in America: 

A Review of Trends Since 1974,” Volunteering in America by the 

Corporation for National and Community Service.

2. Review and discuss the fi ndings with your group.

3. Form a hypothesis about the volunteer trends described.

Throughout the history of the United States, 

Americans have valued an ethic of service. 

As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote over a century 

and a half ago, this ethic of service “prompts 

[Americans] to assist one another and inclines 

them willingly to sacrifi ce a portion of their time 

and property to the welfare of the state.”

Today, the ethic remains strong as Americans of 

all ages donate their time to schools, churches, 

hospitals, and other local nonprofi ts in an effort 

to improve their communities. Every day, people 

across the country mentor students, beautify 

neighborhoods, help older Americans to live 

independently, restore homes after disasters, and 

much more.

• Volunteering is at a 30-year high.

- The adult volunteer rate declined by 15% 

between 1974 and 1989 (23.6% to 20.4%, 

respectively) but rebounded to a new high 

today (27%). In fact, the adult volunteering 

rate increased by more than 32% since 1989.

- The growth in volunteering has been 

driven primarily by three age groups: older 

teenagers (ages 16 to 19); mid-life adults 

(ages 45 to 64); and older adults (65 years 

old and over).

- Volunteering that takes place through an 

educational or youth service organization had 

the largest increase between 1989 and today. 

While 15.1% of all volunteers served through 

or with an educational or youth service 

organization in 1989, 24.6% of all volunteers 

serve through or with an educational 

organization today, a 63% increase.

• Volunteering among teenagers (ages 16 to 19) 

has dramatically increased since 1989.

- While volunteer rates among teenagers 

declined between 1974 and 1989 (20.9% 

and 13.4%, respectively), the percentage of 

teenagers who volunteer more than doubled 

between 1989 and 2005 (from 13.4% to 

28.4%).

- While the teenage volunteering rate has 

increased signifi cantly over the last 30 years, 

teenagers continue to be primarily interested 

in episodic volunteering (contributing 99 

or fewer hours a year). Today, 67.9% of 

teenagers are episodic volunteers.

- Teenage volunteers are signifi cantly more 

likely to serve with educational or youth 

service organizations today (34.7% in 2005 

vs. 26.8% in 1989). In fact, volunteering with 

religious organizations (30.3% in 2005 vs. 

34.4% in 1989) was the most common place 

that teenagers volunteered in 1989, but it 

is now the second most popular place for 

teenager volunteering, behind educational 

organizations.

- More teenage volunteers are also serving 

with social and community service 

organizations today (12.9% in 2005 vs. 

7% in 1989).

Read below
308 | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | www.OurMississippi.org

1. What volunteering trends does the study describe?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

2. What hypotheses (proposed explanations for observable phenomena) can you 

make based on the information presented?

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | 5.3 Caring for Our River: Protecting Our Precious Resource | 309

True wisdom consists in not departing 

from nature and in molding our 

conduct according to her laws 

and model.

—Seneca (4 B.C.-C.E. 65), Moral Essays

It were happy if we studied nature 

more in natural things, and acted 

according to nature, whose rules are 

few, plain, and most reasonable.

—William Penn (1644-1718), Some Fruits 

 of Solitude, 1693

Man has been empowered with 

reason, with the power to create, so 

that he can add to what he’s been 

given. But up to now he hasn’t been a 

creator, only a destroyer. Forests keep 

disappearing, rivers dry up, wildlife’s 

become extinct, the climate’s ruined 

and the land grows poorer and uglier 

every day.

—Anton Chekov (1860-1904), Uncle Vanya, 1897

Man’s unique reward, however, is that 

while animals survive by adjusting 

themselves to their background, man 

survives by adjusting his background 

to himself.

—Ayn Rand (1895-1982), For the New 

 Intellectual, 1961

We shall never understand the natural 

environment until we can see it as a 

living organism.

—Paul Brooks, The Pursuit of Wilderness, 1971

For many of us, water simply fl ows 

from a faucet, and we think little about 

it beyond this point of contact. We 

have lost a sense of respect for the 

wild river, for the complex workings of 

a wetland, for the intricate web of life 

that water supports.

—Sandra Postel, Last Oasis: Facing Water 

 Scarcity, 2003
310 | Appendix | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Appendix

Supplemental Material
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | Appendix | 311

A1 Career Launch

A list of potential career ideas for students and related professional 

associations.

A2 Major Tributaries of the Mississippi River

A list of major tributaries and their locations along the Mississippi River.

A3 Bridge Crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

A list of major bridge crossings and their bridge descriptions.

A4 Mississippi River Watershed States Chart

Includes information such as state tree, bird, fl ower, fi sh, and mammal.

A5 Endangered Species by State

A list of of threatened and endangered species by State.

A6 Glossary

A list of words and defi nitions throughout this guide that students are 

expected to learn.

A7 Education Standards

A table showing the national learning standards used in preparing this 

guide and the corresponding state standards for Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, 

Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

A8 Planning Chart

A matrix of information (lesson objectives, lesson standards, etc.) for 

teachers to use in selecting and planning lessons in the guide.

A9 Bibliography

A list of references and resources used in creating this guide.

A10 Image Credits

A list of all image and graphic credits.
A1: Career Launch

312 | A1: Career Launch | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

A1: Career Launch

To fi nd a speaker for the classroom, contact your local chapter of the Professional 

Association. The rangers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish & 

Wildlife Service, or your State Department of Natural Resources would be able 

to speak on many of the topics. Visit the Department of Labor’s website for a 

complete list of occupations at www.occupationalinfo.org.

Anthropologist

Description: Studies human beings and how 

they behave

Contact: American Anthropological Association 

(www.aaanet.org)

Archeologist

Description: Studies the past by looking for 

remains and artifacts left by people who lived 

long ago

Contact: Society for American Archaeology 

(www.saa.org)

Biologist

Description: Studies living organisms

Contact: American Institute of Biological 

Sciences (www.aibs.org)

Botanist

Description: Studies plants, fl owers, and plantlike things such as moss and seaweed

Contact: Botanical Society of America 

(www.botany.org)

Business developer

Description: Identifi es new business 

opportunities

Contact: The Society for Business Development 

Professionals (www.sbdp.org)

Career counselor

Description: Helps you fi nd your career path

Contact: Your local high school career or 

guidance counselor

Cartographer

Description: Makes maps

Contact: North American Cartographic 

Information Society (www.nacis.org)

City planner

Description: Responsible for the city’s general 

plan, zoning, municipal land decisions, and 

environmental studies

Contact: American Planning Association 

(www.planning.org)

Civic leader

Description: Leader in municipal affairs

Contact: City, county, or state offi ces

Climatologist 

Description: Studies climate, specifi cally 

weather conditions over a period of time

Contact: American Association of State 

Climatologists (www.stateclimate.org)

Conservation officer or warden 

Description: Protects and enforces conservation 

values and laws

Contact: State Department of Natural Resources

Conservationist

Description: Advocates for the protection of all 

the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus 

on the natural environment

Contact local: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

(www.fws.gov), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(www.usace.army.mil), or Nature Conservancy 

(www.nature.org)

Ecologist

Description: Studies living things, their 

environment, and their interactions

Contact local: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

(www.fws.gov), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(www.usace.army.mil), or Nature Conservancy 

(www.nature.org)
A1: Career Launch

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A1: Career Launch | 313

Economist

Description: Studies economic relationships and 

solution of problems arising from production 

and distribution of goods and services

Contact: National Association for Business 

Economics (www.nabe.com)

Employment coordinator

Description: Finds, screens, and interviews 

potential employees for their organization

Contact: Society for Human Resources 

Management local chapter (www.shrm.org)

Engineer

Description: Applies scientifi c knowledge, 

mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions 

for technical problems. Engineers design 

materials, structures, machines and systems 

while considering the limitations imposed by 

practicality, safety and cost. e.g. Hydroelectric 

engineer

Contact: National Society of Professional 

Engineers (www.nspe.org)

Farmer

Description: Raises living organisms for food or 

raw materials

Contact: Local 4-H, FFA (Future Farmers of 

America), National Farmers Association 

(www.nfo.org)

Fisherman

Description: Captures fi sh and other animals 

from a body of water, or gathers shellfi sh

Contact local: Commercial Fishermen of 

America (www.cfafi sh.org)

Forester

Description: Makes sure that the forest and all 

the wildlife that lives there is healthy

Contact local: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

(www.fws.gov), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(www.usace.army.mil), or Nature Conservancy 

(www.nature.org)

Geologist

Description: Studies nonliving things the Earth 

is made of

Contact: Geological Society of America 

(www.geosociety.org)

Glaciologist

Description: Studies glaciers and their effects on 

the landscape and our climate

Contact: American Association for the 

Advancement of Science (www.aaas.org)

Historian

Description: Studies the passage of time and 

the events that happen within that passage

Contact: American Historical Association 

(www.historians.org)

Hydrogeologist

Description: Studies the ways that groundwater 

moves through the soil and rock of the earth

Contact: Geological Society of America 

(www.geosociety.org)

Hydrologist

Description: Studies the movement, distribution, 

and quality of water throughout the Earth

Contact: Geological Society of America 

(www.geosociety.org)

Lock master

Description: Manages canals, locks, and related 

property

Contact: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(www.usace.army.mil)

Merchant mariner

Description: Operates and maintains numerous 

types of watercraft

Contact: National Mariners Association 

(www.nationalmariners.org)

Microbiologist

Description: Studies bacteria and other 

micro-organisms

Contact: The American Society For 

Microbiology (www.asm.org)

Mineralogist

Description: Examines, analyzes, 

and classifi es minerals, gems, and 

precious stones

Contact: Geological Society of America 

(www.geosociety.org)

News reporter

Description: Collects and analyzes information 

about newsworthy events and writes news 

stories for publication or broadcast

Contact: Society of Professional Journalists 

(www.spj.org)

Ornithologist

Description: Studies birds

Contact: Ornithological Societies of North 

America (www.osnabirds.org)
314 | A2: Major Tributaries... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Park ranger

Description: Enforces laws, protects resources, 

manages facilities, and provides education for 

visitors on public lands and waters managed 

by Federal and state governments

Contact local: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(www.corpslakes.us) or U.S. Fish & Wildlife 

Service (www.fws.gov)

Sociologist

Description: Researches the structures that 

organize society, such as race, gender, and 

social classes 

Contact: American Sociological Association 

(www.asanet.org)

Surveyor

Description: Measures and maps land or a 

building site to establish boundaries

Contact: National Society of Professional 

Surveyors (www.nspsmo.org)

Tourism occupations

Description: Information center staff, restaurant 

staff, hotel staff, recreation equipment, etc. 

For instance, guides that escort individuals or 

groups on sightseeing tours or through places 

of interest

Contact: The World Federation of Tourist Guide 

Associations (www.wftga.org)

Towboat captain

Description: Pushes water-going vessels (ship, 

barge, ferry, etc.) to transport passengers, 

freight, and other cargo

Contact: American Waterways Operators 

(www.americanwaterways.com)

Water safety specialists

Description: Provides professional open water, 

surf, and enclosed water rescue services.

Contact: Water Safety Specialist 

(www.watersafetyspecialists.com) or 

U.S. Coast Guard (www.uscg.mil)

U.S. Coast Guard member

Description: Protects our maritime economy 

and the environment, defends maritime 

borders, and saves those in peril

Contact: U.S. Coast Guard (www.uscg.mil)

Wildlife biologist

Description: Applies the principles of ecology 

to the conservation and management of 

wildlife and its habitats

Contact: The Wildlife Society 

(www.wildlife.org)

A2: Major Tributaries 

of the Mississippi River

Arkansas River in Arkansas 

Big Black River in Mississippi 

Big Muddy River in Illinois 

Chippewa River in Wisconsin 

Crow River in Minnesota 

Des Moines River in Iowa 

Illinois River in Illinois 

Iowa River in Iowa 

Kaskaskia River in Illinois 

Maquoketa River in Iowa 

Minnesota River in Minnesota 

Missouri River in Missouri 

Ohio River in Kentucky 

Red River in Louisiana 

Rock River in Illinois 

Skunk River in Iowa 

St. Croix River in Minnesota 

 and Wisconsin 

Wapsipinicon River in Iowa 

White River in Arkansas 

Wisconsin River in Wisconsin 

Yazoo River in Mississippi 

pp

A1: Career Launch — A2: Major Tributaries...
A3: Bridge Crossings on the Upper Mississippi River

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A3: Bridge Crossings... | 315

A3: Bridge Crossings 

on the Upper Mississippi River

Bridges over the Mississippi River that have notable engineering or landmark 

signifi cance. Listed in order from the source of the river to its mouth.

Stone Arch Bridge

Former Great Northern Railway (now 

pedestrian) bridge at Saint Anthony Falls in 

downtown Minneapolis. 

I-35W Mississippi River Bridge

This bridge collapsed catastrophically on 

August 1, 2007, killing 13 and injuring over 

100. It was replaced by the I-35W Saint 

Anthony Falls Bridge, which opened in 

September 2008, ahead of schedule and 

on budget. 

I-90 Mississippi River Bridge

Connects La Crosse, Wisconsin to Winona 

County, Minnesota, located just south of Lock 

and Dam No. 7. 

La Crosse Rail Bridge

This bridge was one of the fi rst 15 bridges 

built to cross the Mississippi River. Built 

in 1876, it is a swing bridge that spans the 

river between La Crescent, Minnesota, and 

La Crosse, Wisconsin, and carries Amtrak’s 

Empire Builder train.

Mississippi River Bridge

Also known as the Big Blue Bridges, it is a 

combination of two individual bridges, the 

Cass Street and Cameron Avenue Bridges, 

that cross the east channel of the Mississippi 

River connecting downtown La Crosse, 

Wisconsin, to Barron Island.

Black Hawk Bridge

Connects Lansing in Allamakee County, 

Iowa, to rural Crawford County, Wisconsin, 

locally referred to as the Lansing Bridge 

and documented in the Historic American 

Engineering Record. 

Julien Dubuque Bridge

Joins the cities of Dubuque, Iowa, 

and East Dubuque, Illinois and is listed in the 

National Register of Historic Places. 

Savanna-Sabula Bridge

Truss bridge and causeway that connects the 

city of Savanna, Illinois with the island city of 

Sabula, Iowa. The bridge carries U.S. Highway 

52 over the river. It is also the terminus of 

both Iowa Highway 64 and Illinois Route 64. 

Added to the National Register of Historic 

Places in 1999. 

Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge 

Four-lane steel girder bridge that connects 

Le Claire, Iowa and Rapids City, Illinois. 

Completed in 1966. 

I-74 Bridge

Originally known as the Iowa-Illinois 

Memorial Bridge, connects Bettendorf, Iowa 

and Moline, Illinois. 

Government Bridge

Connects Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, 

Iowa, adjacent to Lock and Dam No. 15. The 

fourth crossing in this vicinity, having been 

built in 1896. 

Rock Island Centennial Bridge

A fi ve-arched bridge connecting Rock Island, 

Illinois and Davenport, Iowa, opened in 1940. 

Norbert F. Beckey Bridge

Connects Muscatine, Iowa to Rock Island 

County, Illinois, became the country’s fi rst 

bridge to use light-emitting diode lights 

to decoratively illuminate the facade of 

the bridge. 

pp pp
A3: Bridge Crossings on the Upper Mississippi River

316 | A3: Bridge Crossings... | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Great River Bridge

Cable-stayed bridge connecting Burlington, 

Iowa to Gulf Port, Illinois. 

Fort Madison Toll Bridge

Also known as the Santa Fe Swing Span 

Bridge. At the time of its construction, it was 

the longest and heaviest electrifi ed swing 

span on the river. It connects Fort Madison, 

Iowa and unincorporated Niota, Illinois. Listed 

in the National Register of Historic Places 

since 1999. 

Bayview Bridge

Cable-stayed bridge bringing westbound U.S. 

Highway 24 over the river, connecting the 

cities of West Quincy, Missouri and Quincy, 

Illinois. Eastbound U.S. 24 is served by the 

older Quincy Memorial Bridge. 

Clark Bridge

Also known as the Super Bridge as the result 

of an appearance on the PBS program, Nova. 

This cable-stayed bridge connects West Alton, 

Missouri and Alton, Illinois, was built in 1994, 

and carries U.S. Route 67 across the river. 

It is the northernmost river crossing in the 

St. Louis metropolitan area and replaces the 

Old Clark Bridge, a truss bridge built in 1928, 

named after explorer William Clark. 

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge

Located on the northern edge of St. Louis, 

the old Chain of Rocks Bridge is notable for 

the 22-degree bend that occurs in the middle 

of the crossing, which was necessary for 

navigation on the river. This bridge was once 

part of U.S. Route 66, but is now used only by 

pedestrians and bicyclists. Vehicle traffi c now 

travels across the river on nearby I-270.

McKinley Bridge

Named for William B. McKinley, CEO of 

Illinois Traction System Electric Railway. It 

connected St. Louis, Missouri, to Venice, 

Illinois, in 1910. In 1978, the railroad line was 

closed. The bridge closed to all traffi c in 2001, 

but was reopened in 2007.

Martin Luther King Bridge

Formerly known as the Veterans Bridge, this 

cantilever truss bridge connects St. Louis, 

Missouri, with East St. Louis, Illinois. It was 

built in 1951 as a toll bridge. In 1967, the 

bridge fell into disrepair when the toll-free 

Poplar Street Bridge opened. In 1968, the 

bridge was renamed after Martin Luther 

King, Jr. In 1987, the toll was removed and 

repairs begun.

Eads Bridge

Combined road and railway bridge, 

connecting St. Louis, Missouri and East St. 

Louis, Illinois. When completed in 1874, it was 

the longest arch bridge in the world, with an 

overall length of 6,442 ft (1,964 m). The ribbed 

steel arch spans were considered daring, as 

was the use of steel as a primary structural 

material; it was the fi rst such use of true steel 

in a major bridge project. 

Poplar Street Bridge

Offi cially the Bernard R. Dickmann Bridge, the 

Poplar Street Bridge was completed in 1967, 

crossing the Mississippi River between East 

St. Louis, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri, 

just south of the Gateway Arch. The bridge is 

crossed by approximately 100,000 vehicles 

daily, making it the second most heavily used 

bridge on the river after the Dartmouth Bridge 

in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Jefferson Barracks Bridge

Often called the J.B. Bridge, it is a pair of 

bridges that cross the Mississippi River from 

St. Louis, Missouri, to Columbia, Illinois. The 

909-foot steel arch bridges were built nine 

years apart, with the fi rst opening in 1983. 

Chester Bridge

Truss bridge connecting Route 51 in Missouri 

with Illinois Route 150, between Perryville, 

Missouri and Chester, Illinois. The bridge can 

be seen in the beginning of the 1967 fi lm, In 

the Heat of the Night. In the 1940s, the main 

span was destroyed by a tornado. 
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A4: Upper Mississippi States Chart | 317

A4: Mississippi River Watershed States Chart p

p

Alabama Longleaf Pine Pinus palustris Camellia Camellia sp. Black bear Largemouth bass YellowhammerArkansas Pine Pinus echinata Apple blossom Malus domestica White-tailed deer MockingbirdColorado Blue Spruce Picea pungens Rocky Mountain Columbine Aquilegia caerulea Rocky Mt bighorn sheep Greenback cutthroat trout Lark BuntingGeorgia Live Oak Quercus virginiana Cherokee rose Rosa laevigata Marine mammal – right whale Largemouth bass Brown ThrasherIllinois White Oak Quercus alba Native violet Viola sororia. White-tailed deer Bluegill CardinalIndiana

Yellow Poplar Liriodendron tulipifera

Peony Paeonia sp. Cardinal

Iowa Oak Quercus Wild rose Rosa blanda (unoffi cial) Channel catfi sh Eastern Goldfi nchKansas Cottonwood Populus deltoides Native sunfl ower Helianthus annuus American buffalo Western MeadowlarkKentucky Yellow Poplar Gymnocladus dioica Goldenrod Solidago sp. Gray squirrel Kentucky spotted bass CardinalLouisiana Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum Magnolia Magnolia grandifl ora Black bear White crappie Eastern Brown PelicanState Tree Flower Mammal Fish Bird

A4: Mississippi River Watershed States Chart
318 | A4: Upper Mississippi States Chart | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Maryland Quercus alba White Oak Rudbeckia hirta Black eyed susan Rockfi sh Baltimore OrioleMichigan Pinus strobus Eastern White Pine Pyrus coronaria Apple blossom White-tailed deer Brook trout RobinMinnesota Pinus resinosa Red Pine Cypripedium reginae Lady slipper Walleye Common LoonMississippi

grandiflMagnolia Southern Magnolia 

 ora Magnolia grandifl

Magnolia

 ora White-tailed deer Largemouth bass Mockingbird

Missouri Cornus fl Flowering Dogwood orida Crataegus sp. Hawthorn Missouri mule Channel catfi sh BluebirdMontana Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine Lewisia rediviva Bitterroot Grizzly bear cutthroat trout Blackspotted Meadowlark Western Nebraska Populus deltoides Cottonwood Solidago gigantea Goldenrod White-tailed deer Channel catfi sh Meadowlark Western New Mexico Pinus edulis Pinyon Yucca sp. Yucca Black bear Cutthroat trout RoadrunnerNew York Acer saccharum Sugar Maple Rosa sp. Rose Beaver Brook trout BluebirdNorth Carolina Pinus palustris Pine Cornus fl Dogwood orida Gray squirrel Channel Bass CardinalNorth Dakota Ulmus americana American Elm Rosa carolina Wild prairie rose Nokota horse Northern pike Meadowlark Western Ohio Aesculus glabra Ohio Buckeye Dianthus caryophyllus Scarlet carnation White-tailed deer CardinalState Tree Flower Mammal Fish Bird

A4: Mississippi River Watershed States Chart
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A4: Upper Mississippi States Chart | 319

Oklahoma Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis Mistletoe Phordendron serotinum Buffalo White Bass Scissor-tailed FlycatcherPennsylvania Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadensis Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia White-tailed deer Brook trout Ruffed GrouseSouth Dakota White Spruce Picea glauca Pasque fl ower Anemone pulsatilla Coyote Walleye Ring-necked PheasantTennessee

Yellow Poplar Liriodendron tulipifera

Purple irisIridaceae sp. Raccoon Channel catfi sh Mockingbird

Texas Pecan Carya illinoinensis Bluebonnet Lupinus subcarnosus Texas longhorn Guadalupe bass MockingbirdVirginia Flowering Dogwood Cornus fl orida Dogwood Cornus fl orida Brook trout CardinalWest Virginia Sugar Maple Acer saccharum Rhododendron Rhododendron sp. Black bear Brook trout CardinalWisconsin Sugar Maple Acer saccharum Wood violet Viola sororia Badger Muskellunge RobinWyoming Cottonwood Populus sargentii Indian paint brush Castilleja affi nis Buffalo Cutthroat trout Western Meadowlark State Tree Flower Mammal Fish Bird

A4: Mississippi River Watershed States Chart
 A5: Endangered Species by State

320 | A4: Upper Mississippi States Chart | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

A5: Endangered Species by State g p y

Illinois

Animals Endangered Amphipod, Illinois cave (Gammarus acherondytes)

 Endangered Bat, gray (Myotis grisescens)

 Endangered Bat, Indiana (Myotis sodalis)

 Endangered Butterfl y, Karner blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)

 Endangered Clubshell Entire Range (Pleurobema clava)

 Endangered Dragonfl y, Hine’s emerald (Somatochlora hineana)

 Endangered Fanshell (Cyprogenia stegaria)

 Endangered Higgins’ eye pearlymussel (Lampsilis higginsii)

 Endangered Pink mucket pearlymussel (Lampsilis abrupta)

 Endangered Orangefoot pimpleback pearlymussel (Plethobasus cooperianus)

 Endangered Plover, piping (Charadrius melodus)

 Endangered Pocketbook, fat (Potamilus capax)

 Endangered Snail, Iowa Pleistocene (Discus macclintocki)

 Endangered Sturgeon, pallid (Scaphirhynchus albus)

 Endangered Tern, least (Sterna antillarum)

Plants Threatened Aster, decurrent false (Boltonia decurrens)

 Threatened Bush-clover, prairie (Lespedeza leptostachya)

 Threatened Daisy, lakeside (Hymenoxys herbacea)

 Threatened Milkweed, Mead’s (Asclepias meadii)

 Threatened Orchid, eastern prairie fringed (Platanthera leucophaea)

 Threatened Pogonia, small whorled (Isotria medeoloides)

 Threatened Potato-bean, Price’s (Apios priceana)

 Endangered Prairie-clover, leafy (Dalea foliosa)

 Threatened Thistle, Pitcher’s (Cirsium pitcheri)

Fish Threatened Banded Killifi sh (Fundulus diaphanus)

 Endangered Bigeye shiner (Notropis boops)

 Threatened Blackchin shiner (Notropis heterodon)

 Endangered Bluenose shiner (Notropis welaka)

 Endangered Cypress minnow (Hybognathus hayi)

 Threatened Gravel chub (Erimystax x-punctatus)

 Endangered Greater redhorse (Moxostoma valenciennesi)

 Threatened Iowa darter (Etheostoma exile)

 Endangered Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

 Threatened Longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus)

 Endangered Pallid shiner (Hybopsis amnis)

 Endangered Pallid Sturgeon (Notropis anogenus)

 Endangered Pugnose shiner (Scaphirhynchus albus)

 Threatened River redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum)

 Threatened Starhead topminnow (Fundulus dispar)

 Endangered Sturgeon chub (Macrhybopsis gelida)

 Endangered Weed shiner (Notropis texanus )

 Endangered Western sand darter (Ammocrypta clara )
A5: Endangered Species by State

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A5: Endangered Species by State | 321

Iowa 

Animals Endangered Bat, Indiana (Myotis sodalis)

 Endangered Higgins’ eye pearlymussel (Lampsilis higginsii)

 Threatened Plover, piping (Charadrius melodus)

 Endangered Shiner, Topeka (Notropis topeka)

 Endangered Snail, Iowa Pleistocene (Discus macclintocki)

 Endangered Sturgeon, pallid (Scaphirhynchus albus)

 Endangered Tern, least (Sterna antillarum)

Plants Threatened Bush-clover, prairie (Lespedeza leptostachya)

 Threatened Milkweed, Mead’s (Asclepias meadii)

 Threatened Monkshood, northern wild (Aconitum noveboracense)

 Threatened Orchid, eastern prairie fringed (Platanthera leucophaea)

 Threatened Orchid, western prairie fringed (Platanthera praeclara)

Fish Threatened American Brook Lamprey (American Brook Lamprey)

 Threatened Bluenose shiner (Notropis welaka)

 Threatened Black redhorse (Moxostoma duquesni)

 Endangered Bluntnose darter (Etheostoma chlorosoma)

 Threatened Burbot (Lota lota)

 Threatened Chestnut lamprey (Ichthyomyzon castaneus)

 Endangered Freckled madtom (Noturus nocturnus)

 Threatened Grass pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus)

 Endangered Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

 Threatened Orangethroat darter (Etheostoma spectabile)

 Endangered Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus)

 Endangered Pearl Dace (Margariscus margarita)

 Endangered Pugnose shiner (Notropis anogenus)

 Endangered Weed shiner (Notropis texanus )

 Threatened Western sand darter (Ammocrypta clara )

Minnesota

Animals Endangered Butterfl y, Karner blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)

 Endangered Higgins’ eye pearlymussel (Lampsilis higginsii)

 Threatened Lynx, Canada (Lynx canadensis)

 Endangered Mapleleaf, winged Entire (Quadrula fragosa)

 Threatened Plover, piping (Charadrius melodus)

 Endangered Shiner, Topeka (Notropis topeka)

 Threatened Wolf, gray (Canis lupus)

Plants Threatened Bush-clover, prairie (Lespedeza leptostachya)

 Endangered Lily, Minnesota dwarf trout (Erythronium propullans)

 Threatened Orchid, western prairie fringed (Platanthera praeclara)

 Threatened Roseroot, Leedy’s (Sedum integrifolium ssp. leedyi)

Fish Threatened Paddlefi sh (Polyodon spathula)
 A5: Endangered Species by State

322 | A5: Endangered Species by State | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

Missouri

Animals Endangered Bat, gray (Myotis grisescens)

 Endangered Bat, Indiana (Myotis sodalis)

 Endangered Bat, Ozark big-eared (Corynorhinus (=Plecotus) townsendii) ingens)

 Endangered Beetle, American burying (Nicrophorus americanus)

 Threatened Cavefi sh, Ozark (Amblyopsis rosae)

 Endangered Cavesnail, Tumbling Creek (Antrobia culveri)

 Threatened Darter, Niangua (Etheostoma nianguae)

 Endangered Higgins’ eye pearlymussel (Lampsilis higginsii)

 Threatened Madtom, Neosho (Noturus placidus)

 Endangered Mapleleaf, winged Entire (Quadrula fragosa)

 Endangered Pink mucket pearlymussel (Lampsilis abrupta)

 Endangered Mussel, scaleshell (Leptodea leptodon)

 Endangered Curtis pearlymussel (Epioblasma fl orentina curtisi)

 Threatened Plover, piping (Charadrius melodus)

 Endangered Pocketbook, fat (Potamilus capax)

 Endangered Shiner, Topeka (Notropis topeka)

 Endangered Sturgeon, pallid (Scaphirhynchus albus)

 Endangered Tern, least (Sterna antillarum)

Plants Threatened Aster, decurrent false (Boltonia decurrens)

 Threatened Bladderpod, Missouri (Lesquerella fi liformis)

 Endangered Clover, running buffalo (Trifolium stoloniferum)

 Threatened Milkweed, Mead’s (Asclepias meadii)

 Threatened Geocarpon minimum (No common name)

 Threatened Orchid, western prairie fringed (Platanthera praeclara)

 Threatened Pogonia, small whorled (Isotria medeoloides)

 Endangered Pondberry (Lindera melissifolia)

 Threatened Sneezeweed, Virginia (Helenium virginicum) 

Fish Threatened Central mudminnow (Umbra limi)

 Endangered Crystal darter (Crystallaria asprella)

 Endangered Flathead chub (Platygobio gracilis)

 Endangered Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

 Endangered Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus)
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A5: Endangered Species by State | 323

A5: Endangered Species by State

Wisconsin

Animals Endangered Butterfl y, Karner blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)

 Endangered Dragonfl y, Hine’s emerald (Somatochlora hineana)

 Endangered Higgins’ eye pearlymussel (Lampsilis higginsii)

 Threatened Lynx, Canad (Lynx canadensis)

 Endangered Mapleleaf, winged Entire (Quadrula fragosa)

 Endangered Plover, piping (Charadrius melodus)

 Endangered Wolf, gray (Lower 48 States) (Canis lupus)

Plants Threatened Bush-clover, prairie (Lespedeza leptostachya)

 Threatened Iris, dwarf lake (Iris lacustris)

 Threatened Locoweed, Fassett’s (Oxytropis campestris var. chartacea)

 Threatened Milkweed, Mead’s (Asclepias meadii)

 Threatened Monkshood, northern wild (Aconitum noveboracense)

 Threatened Orchid, eastern prairie fringed (Platanthera leucophaea)

 Threatened Thistle, Pitcher’s (Cirsium pitcheri)

Fish Threatened Black buffalo (Ictiobus niger)

 Threatened Black redhorse (Moxostoma duquesni)

 Threatened Blue sucker (Cycleptus elongatus)

 Endangered Bluntnose darter (Etheostoma chlorosoma)

 Endangered Crystal darter (Crystallaria asprella)

 Endangered Goldeye (Hiodon alosoides)

 Endangered Gravel chub (Erimystax x-punctatus)

 Threatened Greater redhorse (Moxostoma valenciennesi)

 Threatened Longear sunfi sh (Lepomis megalotis)

 Threatened Ozark Minnow (Notropis nubilus)

 Threatened Paddlefi sh (Polyodon spathula)

 Endangered Pallid shiner (Hybopsis amnis)

 Threatened Pugnose shiner (Notropis anogenus)

 Threatened Redfi n shiner (Lythrurus umbratilis)

 Threatened River redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum)

 Endangered Skipjack (Alosa (Pomolobus) chrysochloris)

 Endangered Starhead topminnow (Fundulus dispar)

 Endangered Striped shiner (Luxilus coccogenis)

Some species that were once listed as threatened or endangered have recovered 

enough to be removed from the list, including the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, 

and brown pelican.
324 | A6: Glossary | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

A6: Glossary

Abiotic means non-living, or never having 

lived. Non-living chemical and physical 

components in the environment, such as 

temperature, light, moisture, or air currents. 

Examples: rocks, soil, sunlight, water, air, and 

any items made by humans from non-living 

components, such as brick and cement. 

Abolitionism is the movement to end the 

slave trade and set slaves free.

Abolitionist is one who worked toward the 

termination of slavery in the United States.

Adaptation is the biological characteristic that 

improves the chance of survival of an animal 

and its descendants.

Anthropology is the study of the origins, 

physical and cultural development, and the 

social customs and beliefs of people.

Aquifer is a saturated underground 

rock layer with enough available water 

to be pumped out or fl ow from the ground 

as a spring.

Archeology, also spelled Archaeology, is the 

study of past human culture by the recovery 

and examination of remaining material 

evidence, such as burial sites, buildings, 

tools, and pottery.

Atmosphere is the layer of gases that make 

up the air around Earth. The air includes gases 

that plants and animals need to breathe.

BCE is known as Before Common Era.

Bacteria are a large group of single-celled 

organisms that live in soil, water, organic 

material, and the bodies of living plants 

and animals.

Belief is feeling sure that something or 

someone exists or is true.

Biotic means living or having lived. The 

organic components in an environment that 

affect organisms. They consist of plant and 

animal organisms, both living and dead, as 

well as the results of their activities, including 

what they eat and defecate.

Biodegradable is something that can be 

broken down naturally and then becomes 

part of the soil, water, or air.

Biodiversity is the number and variety of 

organisms in a given locality, community, or 

ecosystem.

Biome is a geographical area that shares the 

same climatic conditions.

Breeding grounds are the areas where an 

animal mates and produces offspring.

Bridge is a structure built to span a valley, 

road, body of water, or other physical 

obstacle, for the purpose of providing 

passage over the obstacle.

Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon 

emitted by something during a given period. 

It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases 

produced when fossil fuels are burned.

Carnivore is an animal that eat only other 

animals.

Carrying capacity is the maximum number 

of healthy individuals within a species that a 

habitat can sustain. 

CE is known as the Common Era.

Channel is the bed where a natural stream of 

water fl ows.

Chronology is the organization of events in 

order of their occurrence. 

y

A6: Glossary
A6: Glossary

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A6: Glossary | 325

Civilization is similar to culture but commonly 

used to refer to a more complex or advanced 

form of organized life, including complex 

social, political, military, and religious values, 

goals, and practices.

Climate is statistical weather information that 

describes the variation of weather at a given 

place for a specifi ed interval. It represents 

the synthesis of weather; more formally it is 

the weather of a locality averaged over some 

period (usually 30 years) plus statistics of 

weather extremes.

Climate change is often used synonymously 

with the term global warming; it refers to 

the long-term changes in the climate of a 

region. A warmer earth may lead to changes 

in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a 

wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and 

humans.

Community refers to different populations of 

species that live and interact together. Several 

communities live together in an ecosystem.

Confl uence is where two or more bodies 

of water meet together, usually referring to 

tributaries.

Conservation is the wise use of natural 

resources in order to ensure continued 

availability to future generations.

Consumers are members of the food chain 

that eat other living things. There are four 

types, or tropic levels, of consumers.

Contaminants enter the Mississippi River 

untreated from runoff and stormwater drains. 

Contaminants may include: pesticides, 

petroleum, toxic metals, industrial chemicals, 

nitrate and phosphate.

Crest is a high point of an action 

or process.

Crustaceans are a large group of 

invertebrates that includes shrimp, crabs, 

and barnacles.

Culture is a shared set of attitudes, values, 

goals, and practices that characterizes an 

institution, organization or group. 

Current is a “path” of water or ice that fl ows 

in a certain direction.

Decomposers are living things that break 

down the cells of dead plants and animals 

into simpler parts, helping to return nutrients 

to the soil to be used by the primary 

producers. Decomposers can include fungi 

(mold), bacteria, and worms. 

Detritus are small pieces of organic material 

from dead and decaying plants and animals.

Drainage basin, also called a watershed, is 

a region or area of land where water from 

rain or snow drains downhill into a body of 

water, such as a river, lake, wetland, estuary, 

sea, or ocean.

Drainage divide, water divide, divide, or 

watershed is the line separating neighboring 

drainage basins (catchments).

Ecological footprint (eco-foot print) is the 

negative impact that something has on the 

environment.

Ecosystems are groups of living and 

nonliving things interacting with and 

dependent on each other to create a stable, 

self-sustaining system. They can be as small 

as a puddle or as large as the Earth itself. 

Endangered refers to a plant or animal 

species that is in immediate danger of 

becoming extinct and needs protection 

to survive. 

Erosion occurs when rock or soil is loosened 

and carried off by glaciers, rivers, winds, 

and waves.

Estuary is a partly enclosed coastal 

body of water with one or more rivers or 

streams fl owing into it, and with a free 

connection to the open sea. The mix of 

freshwater and marine environments creates 

very productive habitats. 
 A6: Glossary

Evaporation is the releasing of water back 

into the atmosphere when it changes from a 

liquid to water vapor.

Extinct refers to a plant or animal species that 

is no longer living on earth.

Firn is a snowfl ake that has lost half of its air 

and did not completely melt during its fi rst 

summer. Firn comes from German meaning 

“of last year.”

Flyway is a general fl ight route used by 

many migrating bird species between 

their wintering grounds and their breeding 

grounds. There are four major migratory 

fl yways in North America: Atlantic, 

Mississippi, Central, and Pacifi c Flyways.

Floodplain is fl at or nearly fl at land next 

to a stream or river that occasionally or 

periodically fl oods.

Flood stage is the established gage height for 

a given location above which a rise in water 

surface level begins to create a hazard to 

lives, property, or commerce.

Food chain is the relationships among 

organisms in a habitat arranged in order of 

predation (interactions between predators 

and prey).

Food web is all the food chains in a 

particular habitat.

Free negro is a person born to a free AfricanAmerican woman (the rights of the child 

were determined by the rights of the mother); 

rights restricted by laws intended for slaves.

Free states are states that had prohibited 

the institution of slavery (as of 1836): 

Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, 

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, 

New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, New 

Hampshire, Vermont, Maine. 

Freed slave is a free African-American who 

has purchased freedom or was freed by his 

or her owner.

Fugitive slave is one who fl ees; 

a runaway.

Geopolitical boundaries are the political and 

geographic factors that infl uence boundaries. 

Drainage basins have been historically 

important for determining territorial 

boundaries, particularly in regions where 

trade by water has been important. 

Glacier is a huge collection of ice that 

moves slowly across the land. Glaciers form 

when more snow accumulates than melts. 

Glacier comes from the Latin word glacies

meaning ice.

Global warming is the average increase in the 

Earth’s temperature, which causes changes in 

climate.

Gravity is a force. Every time you jump, you 

experience gravity. It pulls you back down to 

the ground. Without gravity, you’d fl oat off 

into the atmosphere.

Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat 

in the atmosphere, much like a greenhouse. 

Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide 

(CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), 

halogenated fl uorocarbons (HCFCs), ozone 

(O3), and hydrofl uorocarbons (HFCs).

Groundwater is water located beneath the 

ground surface.

Habitat is the place where an animal makes 

its home and meets all of its needs for 

survival, including food, water, shelter, 

and space.

Headwaters or source of a river or stream is 

the place from which the water in the river or 

stream begins.

Herbivore is an animal that eat only plants.

Historic is the term used to describe the 

period of time known about through records, 

such as written or oral traditions.

Humidity is the amount of water vapor 

(moisture) in the air. 

326 | A6: Glossary | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River
A6: Glossary

Igneous rocks form when magma solidifi es. 

Magma is molten rock from deep within 

the Earth. The chemical composition of the 

magma and its cooling rate determine the 

fi nal igneous rock type.

Indicator species is a species whose 

presence, absence, or relative well-being in a 

given environment tells us about the health 

of its ecosystem as a whole. Also called 

bioindicators.

Invertebrates are animals without backbones, 

which includes about 95% of all animal 

species, such as insects, worms, spiders, 

crustaceans, and mollusks.

Language is a form of communication. 

Without language, people could not learn 

from one another across generations and 

culture could not be transmitted.

Magma is deep within the Earth. It is so 

hot that some rocks slowly melt and 

become a thick fl owing substance. Some 

of the magma pushes through vents and 

fi ssures in the Earth’s surface until a volcanic 

eruption occurs. Magma that has erupted is 

called lava.

Metamorphic rocks are rocks that have 

been substantially changed from their 

original igneous, sedimentary, or earlier 

metamorphic form.

Migration is the movement of a species 

from one place to another, often following 

a change of season. Migration of people to 

new areas is usually an attempt to fi nd new 

opportunities or resources.

Migration route is the path taken during the 

course of migration by a single bird species. 

There are four major migratory routes in 

North America: Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, 

and Pacifi c Flyways. 

Mollusks are a large group of invertebrates 

that includes snails, slugs, clams, and 

mussels.

Niche is the functional role a particular 

organism plays in an ecosystem. If two 

species occupy the same niche then 

competition occurs until one has replaced 

the other.

Non-renewable resources are non-living 

resources that do not regenerate themselves. 

Ocean is a major body of salt water. About 

71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by 

ocean, a continuous body of water that is 

customarily divided into several principal 

oceans and smaller seas.

Ojibwe is a group of Native American 

people from along the Mississippi River and 

the Great Lakes. Also spelled Ojibwey and 

Ojibwa. The name is sometimes anglicized as 

Chippewa.

Omnivore is an animal that eat both plants 

and other animals.

Organism is an individual living thing, such as 

a plant, animal, fungus, and bacteria.

Photosynthesis is the process through which 

green plants make their own food from 

sunlight, water, and a gas called carbon 

dioxide.

Phytoplankton are microscopic plants that 

live in or near the surface of the water.

Plankton are microscopic organisms that live 

in both salt and fresh water.

Pollution is the contamination of air, 

water, or soil by substances that are 

harmful to living organisms, usually caused 

by human activities.

Population is a group of the same species 

living in the same place at the same time.

Precipitation in general is the name for 

freshwater that falls from clouds as rain, hail, 

snow, or dew.

Predator is an animal that kills and eat 

other animals.

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A6: Glossary | 327
 A6: Glossary

Prehistoric is a term used to describe the 

period before recorded history.

Prey are animals that are killed and eaten by 

other animals.

Producers are organisms, such as plants and 

algae, that make their own food through 

photosynthesis.

Recycling is reusing or making a substance 

available for reuse. For example, when 

organisms die or produce waste, they 

become food for decomposers, which break 

down the organic matter into nutrients that 

can be used again by producers.

Reservoir is an artifi cial lake used to store 

water. Reservoirs are often created by 

building a reinforced dam.

Riparian habitat is the habitat along the bank 

of a river.

River mouth is where a river empties into an 

ocean or other large body of water.

Safe house is a place that provides safe 

haven for people. Safe houses were part of 

the Underground Railroad. Their locations 

were kept secret from all but a limited 

number of people.

Scavengers are animals that eat 

dead things.

Sea generally refers to a large body of salt 

water and is commonly used as a synonym 

for ocean.

Sediment is the matter that settles to the 

bottom of a liquid, usually sand, rock, or 

gravel. Sediment refers to a collection of solid 

material that gets dragged along with the 

fl ow of the river water, and then settles to the 

riverbed when the fl ow slows down.

Sedimentary rocks are formed from pieces 

of pre-existing rocks worn away from 

weathering and erosion of once-living 

organisms. Called sediment, these small 

pieces may be transported and deposited 

elsewhere by rivers.

Shared resource means sharing an entity by 

many. At school, you share the playground 

with other students. The playground is a 

shared resource.

Settler is a person who has migrated to an 

area and established residence there.

Settlement is a permanent or temporary 

community in which people live.

Slavery is a system in which people are 

the property of others and can be bought 

and sold.

Slave states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, 

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, 

Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, 

Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, 

Maryland. Slavery was also legal in the 

District of Columbia.

Social organization is a set of complex 

systems and institutions developed to meet 

basic needs, such as family, governments, 

languages, universities, hospitals, business 

corporations, and legal systems. 

Species is a single kind of living thing. All 

people are one species. Two organisms of the 

same species can reproduce.

Spirituals are religious songs which were 

created by African American slaves. Some 

believe they were coded with information to 

help slaves escape.

Stopovers are places where birds stay for a 

brief time during their migration.

Strata are distinct layers of sediment 

compressed over time. For example, sand 

eventually becomes sandstone because of 

pressure and cementing agents.

Stream fl ow refers to the amount of water 

that moves through streams, rivers, and other 

water channels. 

Sustainable means meeting the needs of 

the present without exceeding the needs of 

the future.

328 | A6: Glossary | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River
A6: Glossary

Threatened means an organism whose 

population is declining in numbers, but 

has not yet become endangered. A plant 

or animal species that is likely to become 

endangered if it is not protected.

Timeline is a visual representation of the 

events of a certain era, used as a tool for 

studying history and culture.

Topography is the study of the shape of 

physical features of the Earth, such as 

mountains, valleys, plains, peninsulas, cliffs, 

rivers, and lakes.

Trade is the voluntary exchange of goods, 

services, or both. Trade is also called 

commerce. The original form of trade was 

barter, the direct exchange of goods and 

services without using money.

Tradition is the practice of handing down 

information, beliefs, or customs from one 

generation to another.

Transportation is the movement of people 

and goods from one location to another.

Tributary is a stream or river which fl ows into 

a main stem river. A tributary does not fl ow 

directly into a sea, ocean, or lake. Tributaries 

and the main stem river serve to drain the 

surrounding drainage basin of its surface 

water and groundwater by leading the water 

out into an ocean or some other large body 

of water.

Trophic level is the position of an organism in 

a food chain.

Underground Railroad was an informal 

network of secret routes and safe houses 

used by 19th-century African American 

slaves in the U.S. to escape to free states and 

Canada with the aid of abolitionists who were 

sympathetic to their cause.

Value is the idea that something, such as an 

object, goal, or belief, is valuable or desirable.

Volcano refers to an opening or vent through 

which the molten rock and associated gases 

are expelled.

Water cycle is the continuous movement 

of water on, above, and below the surface 

of the Earth. Water can change states among 

liquid, vapor, and ice at various places in the 

water cycle. Also called the hydrologic cycle.

Watercraft is a vehicle, vessel or craft 

designed to move across (or through) 

water, including saltwater and freshwater, 

for pleasure, recreation, physical exercise, 

commerce, transport, and military missions. 

Watershed is a region or area of land where 

water from rain or snow drains downhill into 

body of water, such as a river, lake, wetland, 

estuary, sea, or ocean. Also called a drainage 

basin.

Weather is the day-to-day state of the 

atmosphere, and its short-term (minutes 

to weeks) variation. Popularly, weather 

is thought of as the combination of 

temperature, humidity, precipitation, 

cloudiness, visibility, and wind.

Wetland is an area of land whose soil is 

saturated with moisture either permanently 

or seasonally. Such areas may also be 

covered partially or completely by shallow 

pools of water.

Zooplankton are microscopic animals that eat 

other plankton, such as phytoplankton.

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A6: Glossary | 329
 A7: Education Standards

330 | A7: Education Standards | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

A7: Education Standards

NATIONAL STANDARDS ILLINOIS IOWA

http://www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/ http://www.corecurriculum.iowa.gov/

Home.aspx

Science

Science Standards

(Grades 5–8)

National Committee on Science 

Education Standards and 

Assessment

• Science as inquiry 

• Physical science

• Life science

• Earth science

• Science and technology

• Science in personal and social 

perspectives

• History and nature of science

Science

(Grades K-12)

• Inquiry and design

• Concepts and principles

• Science, technology and society

Science

(Grades 5-6)

• Science as inquiry

• Physical science

• Life science

• Earth and space science

Math

Math Standards 

(Grades 6–8)

National Council of Teachers of 

Mathematics

• Numbers and operations

• Algebra

• Geometry

• Measurement

• Data analysis and probability

• Problem solving

Math Standards 

(Grades K-12)

• Applications of learning

• Solving problems

• Communicating

• Using technology

• Working on teams

• Making connections

Math

(Grades 5-6)

• Number and operations

• Algebra

• Geometry and measurement

• Data analysis and probability

Social Science

Social Science Standards

(Grades K-12)

National Council for the 

Social Studies

• Civics

• Economics

• Geography

• History

Social Studies

(Grades K-12)

• Political systems

• Economics

• History

• Geography

• Social systems

Social Studies

(Grades 5-6)

• Political science and civic literacy

• Behavioral science

• Economics

• Geography

• History

The planning chart in Appendix 8 

shows which activities and lessons are 

associated with which standard. 
A7: Education Standards

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A7: Education Standards | 331

MINNESOTA MISSOURI WISCONSIN

http://education.state.mn.us/mde/

Academic_Excellence/Academic_

Standards/index.html

http://dese.mo.gov/standards/

content.html

http://dpi.wi.gov/standards/

applying.html

Science

(Grade 5)

• The nature of science and 

engineering

• Physical science

• Earth and space science

• Life science 

(Grade 6)

• The nature of science and 

engineering

• Physical science

Science

(Grades K-12)

• Physcial science

• Life science

• Earth science

• Scientifi c inquiry

• Impact of science, technology and 

human activity on resources and 

the environment

Science

(Grades 5-6)

• Clarity and specifi city

• Advanced science content

• Examples of science in Wisconsin

• Connectedness

• Continuity

• Safety

Math

(Grades 5–6)

• Number and operation

• Algebra

• Geometry and measurement 

• Data analysis

Math

(Grades K-12)

• Numbers and operations

• Geometric and trigonometry

• Data analysis, probability and 

statistics

• Mathematical systems

• Discrete mathematics

Math

(Grades 5-6)

• Connections

• Problem solving

• Reasoning

• Communication

• Technology

Social Studies

(Grades 5-6)

• Government and citizenship

• Economics

• Geography

• United States history

• Minnesota history

• World history

• Historical skills

Social Studies

(Grades K-12)

• Civics

• History of Missouri, the United 

States, and the world

• Social science inquiry

• Economic concepts and principles

• Geography

• Relationships of the individual 

and groups to institutions and 

cultural traditions

Social Studies

(Grades 5-6)

• Defi nition of social studies

• Knowledge and skills

• Connections in social studies
NATIONAL STANDARDS ILLINOIS IOWA

Fine Arts

Fine Arts Standards 

(Grades 5–8)

Consortium of National Arts 

Education Associations

• Visual media

• Music

• Drama

• Dance

Fine Arts

(Grades K-12)

• Language of the arts

• Creating and performing

• Arts and civilization

Fine Arts

(Grades 5-6)

NA

Language Arts

Language Arts Standards 

(Grades K–12)

National Council of Teachers of 

English

• Reading for perspective

• Understanding the human 

experience

• Evaluation strategies

• Communication skills

• Communication strategies

• Applying knowledge

• Evaluating data

• Developing research skills

• Multicultural understanding

• Participating in society

• Applying language skills

Language Arts

(Grades K-12)

• Reading

• Literature

• Writing

• Listening and speaking

• Research

Literacy

(Grades 5-6)

• Reading

• Writing

• Speaking

• Listening

• Viewing essential concepts 

and skills

 A7: Education Standards

332 | A7: Education Standards | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River
MINNESOTA MISSOURI WISCONSIN

The Arts 

(Grades 5-6)

• Dance

• Music

• Theater

• Visual arts

Visual and Performed Arts 

(Grades K-12)

• The principles and elements of 

different art forms

• Interrelationships of visual 

and performing arts and the 

relationships of the arts to other 

disciplines

• Historical and cultural contexts

Fine Arts

(Grades 5-6)

NA

Language Arts

(Grade 5)

• Reading and literature

• Writing

• Speaking, listening and viewing

(Grade 6)

• Reading and literature

• Writing

• Speaking, listening and viewing

Communication Arts

(Grades K-12)

• Speaking and writing standard 

english

• Reading and evaluating

• Reading and evaluating nonfi ction 

works and material

• Writing formally and informally

• Formal and informal 

presentations and discussions of 

issues and ideas

Language Arts

(Grades 5-6)

• Language arts: A developmental 

subject

• Great authors and literary works

• Connectedness

A7: Education Standards

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A7: Education Standards | 333
334 | A8: Planning Chart | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 A8: Planning Chart

A8: Planning Chart g

Introduce students to the Mississippi River Watershed and explore how it made its mark on the country’s ecosystems and commerceUnit 1 Goal:

.

Watershedthe Mississippi River 1.0 Introduction to 

systemsworld’s greatest river considered one of the Watershed is Mississippi River Learn why the 

• Identify your state in the watershed• Discover some interesting facts about the watershed• Introduce the Mississippi River Watershed

Page 6

• Language Arts• Earth Science• Geography • Introduce wall • Pre-assessment

map 

• Word search

Mississippi GlaciationsScrapers: Upper 1.1 Movers and 

glaciersby the movement of Watershed was formed Mississippi River Learn how the • Defi ne geographic terms related to the formation of the 

Mississippi River

• Demonstrate glacial erosion• Demonstrate how the Mississippi River was formed Page 17 • Social Studies-

• Earth Science• Physical Science

Geography

• Language Arts

• Demonstrate 

glacial erosion 

Sediment StrataBottom Up: 1.2 Built from the 

constantly changingMississippi River is Learn why the • Defi ne geographic terms related to the formation of the Mississippi River

• Demonstrate how sediment is formed• Explain and discuss the rock cycle Pages 25

• Social StudiesGeography• Language Arts• Earth Science

• Create 

bottlessediment 

of the Water CycleFlow: Ups and Downs 1.3 Going with the 

the Mississippi Riverthe water cycle affects Learn the many ways • Defi ne geographic terms related to the Mississippi River water cycle

• Identify some of the impacts of the water cycle on the river• Discuss the water cycle Pages 33

• Science in • Physical Science• Earth Science

Perspectivesand Social Personal 

• Language Arts

• Do an 

experimentevaporation 

WatershedMississippi River Mapping theMany Branches: 1.4 One Trunk with 

Mississippi Riveralong the Upper communities located Watershed and the of the Mississippi River Learn the importance • Defi ne geographic terms related to the Mississippi River 

• Identify states, tributaries, and major cities along the 

Upper Mississippi River

• Discuss the impact of the waterways on people and 

commerce

Page 43

• Language Arts• Geography• Math• Life Science• Physical Science

• Map usage and 

legend creation
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A8: Planning Chart | 335

A8: Planning Chart

Unit 2 Goal:Explore the ecosystems of the Mississippi River and how humans affect them2.0 Introduction to Upper Mississippi River Ecosystems 

Introduce students to the ecosystems of the Mississippi River

• Defi ne terms related to ecosystems of the Mississippi River• Study the ecosystems of Upper Mississippi River fl oodplain

• Investigate biotic and abiotic components outside

Page 62

• Science as Inquiry• Life Science• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Pre-assessment• Explore Your 

Ecosystem - outside

2.1 At Home in the River: Plants, Animals, and Habitats of the Upper Mississippi River 

Understand how living things are connected to their environment

• Defi ne terms related to ecosystems of the Mississippi River• Research species connections in a food web• Understand the importance of indicator species• Care for tadpoles in an aquarium and record their 

development

Page 75

• Life Science• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Fine Arts• Language Arts

• Food Chain 

Checkers

• Raising Tapoles

2.2 Just Passing Though: Bird Migration and the Mississippi River Flyway 

Understand why the Mississippi Flyway is a major migration route for birds

• Defi ne terms related to ecosystems of the Mississippi River• Research migration routes and identify stopovers• Create a fl yway in your classroom• Prepare for a birdwatching fi eld trip• Go birdwatching

Page 89

• Life Science• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Geography• Fine Arts• Language Arts

• Create a 

classroom fl yway

• Bird watching 

fi eld trip

2.3 Well River Checkup: Assessing the Health of the River 

Understand we all use and reuse the same water

• Understand point and non-point pollution• Examine the effects of detergents and fertilizers on aquatic life• Test for dissolved oxygen in water samples• Determine the relationship between pollutants and dissolved 

oxygen in water

• Collect and interpret data

Page 103

• Physical Science • Life Science• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Virtual car wash• Phosphates in 

your water

2.4 Life on the Brink: Endangered Species of the Upper Mississippi River 

Learn how we can help endangered species that depend on the Upper Mississippi River

• Defi ne terms related to ecosystems of the Mississippi River• Identify endangered species in your local area• Design and plant and school wildlife garden

Page 117

• Physical Science • Life Science• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Geography 

• Identify 

endangered species

• Create a wildlife 

garden

2.5 Mississippi River Sustainability: How to Make a Positive Impact on Your Environment

Learn how we can make a positive impact on their environment

• Defi ne terms related to ecosystems of the Mississippi River• Discuss the effect humans have on the environment• Identify conservation ideas for school and home

Page 122

• Physical Science • Life Science• Science in Personal 

and Social Perspectives

• Read and 

comprehend

• Calculate your 

eco-footprint
History and Culture

Mississippi River 3.0 Introduction to Learn how communities and cultures develop and evolve to form civilizationsUnit 3 Goal:

traditions and cultureUnderstand our own 

• Investigate how technology infl• Identify your family traditions• Discover your family culture

 uences or 

changes traditions

Page 134 • Language Arts • Social Science • Write about your • Pre-assessment culture

Ancient Civilizations3.1 Mississippi River’s 

the MississippiAmericans living alongLearn about ancient 

• Compare their cultures to yours• Discover their customs and cultures• Explore early American civilizations 

Page 149

• Language Arts• Fine Arts• Social Science • Express yourself 

through poetry

ExplorationMeet: Early European 3.2 Where Worlds 

Mississippi Riverstarted along the European settlements Learn how new • Identify explorers of the Mississippi River and their sponsoring countries

• Discuss why many countries wanted to claim the 

Mississippi River

• Explain the importance of the Louisiana Purchase

Page 159

• Language Arts• Fine Arts• Social Science • Plot the routes of 

explorersearly European 

FrontierGateway to the Western 3.3 Louisiana Purchase: 

Purchaserole in the Louisiana Mississippi River’s Understand the • Discuss the signifi • Review the importance of the Louisiana Purchase cance of Zebulon Pike’s expedition on the 

Mississippi River

• Compare and contrast the Lewis and Clark and the Zebulon 

Pike expeditions 

Page 169

• Language Arts• Fine Arts• Math• Social Science

• Plan river trip like 

Zeb Pike

TradeTransportation, and Migration: Settlement, 3.4 Rivers of Human 

role in migrationmigrate and the river’s Learn why people 

• Identify geographic characteristics that infl• Research your state• Explore reasons for human migration

 uenced 

migration and settlement

Page 181

• Language Arts• Fine Arts• Social Science

• Views of the 

MississippiValley of the 

• Americans on the • Ask the Expert

Move

Pathway to Freedom3.5 Mississippi River: 

Underground RailroadMississippi River in the Learn the role of the • Learn about key people in the Abolitionist Movement and the Underground Railroad

• Become a railroad “rider”• Discover the routes of the Underground Railroad Page 199 • Language Arts • Fine Arts

• Social Science • Plan an 

routeUnderground 

 A8: Planning Chart

336 | A8: Planning Chart | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River
Unit 4 Goal:

Explore the Mississippi River at work and how it has changed over time4.0 Introduction to the Mississippi River at Work

Research river-related occupations on the Mississippi River

• Introduce the Mississippi River at work• Identify river occupations• Discuss the river’s role in these occupations• Write about an occupation of your choosing

Page 212

• Social Sciences• Fine Arts• Language Arts

• Pre-assessment• Research 

river-related occupations

4.1 Early Navigation: Powered by People

Explore what river navigation was like before the Age of Steam

• Compare watercrafts used before steamboats• Understand how early watercrafts were navigated• Build a fl atboat

Page 227

• Social Science• Fine Arts• Language Arts

• Create new 

verses to Row, Row, Row your Boat

• Make a fl atboat

4.2 All Aboard the Steamboat Era: Steam Powers a New Economy 

Learn how the steamboat changed travel and commerce on the river

• Introduce the steamboat• Discuss how the steamboat revolutionized river commerce• Use maps to navigate the river• Demonstrate the power of steam 

Page 235

• Science• Social Science• Fine Arts• Language Arts

• Create steam 

power

• Make the Twain

4.3 River Running Dry, River Running High: Major Floods on the Upper Mississippi River

Understand the natural cycles of fl ooding and drought on the Upper Mississippi River

• Discuss causes of fl ooding• Identify major fl oods along the Mississippi River• Research what kind of technology was used after each 

major fl ood

• Produce news article and broadcast

Page 249

• Science• Social Studies• Fine Arts• Language Arts

• Produce a news 

broadcast

4.4 Controlling the River: Locks and Dams on the Upper Mississippi River

Learn how locks and dams make it possible to navigate the Upper Mississippi River

• Explore how locks and dams changed the river• Discuss the impact on wildlife• Watch how a lock works

Page 261

• Science• Social Studies• Fine Arts• Math• Language Arts

• Water 

equilibrium 

4.5 To Market! To Market!: Our Inland Waterway System

Understand the river’s role as a vital economic interstate

• Research which products go up the river 

and which ones down

• Compare modes of transportation via river, rail, and road• Create a virtual trip from the Atlantic Ocean through the 

Saint Lawrence Seaway to the Gulf of Mexico

• Read a navigational chart

Page 273

• Science• Social Studies• Math• Fine Arts• Language Arts

• Create a virtual 

trip on the river

A8: Planning Chart

Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A8: Planning Chart | 337
338 | A8: Planning Chart | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 A8: Planning Chart

Our Mississippi RiverShared Resource - 5.0 Introduction to A Explore what it means to safely share the Upper Mississippi River Unit 5 Goal:

share this resourceExplore how to safely 

• Defi ne shared resource• Investigate Mississippi River issues and 

concerns

• Discuss how we share this resource and the 

students’ responsibilities in protecting it

Page 280 • Science in Personal and 

• Life Science

Social Perspectives

• Investigate river • Pre-assessment

issues & concerns

Mississippi- Playing it Safe on the One River, Many Uses 5.1 Sharing Our River: 

river safelyLearn how to share the 

• Teach younger kids in your school about water • Identify keys elements of water safety• Research the different types of water safety

safety

Page 285

• Science in Personal and 

Social Perspectives

• Language Arts• Fine Arts

• Create water 

safety poster

• Teach younger 

safetystudents boating 

ValuesCompeting Views and River for Everyone: 5.2 Managing Our 

usesthe river for multiple to sustainably manage Discuss ideas for how 

• Problem-solve solutions• Brainstorm ideas• Understand different points of view• Identify issues facing communities 

Page 295

• Science in Personal and • Life Science

Social Perspectives

• Language Arts• Fine Arts• Social Science

• Create a new town 

after a fl ood

• Discuss at a mock 

town hall meeting

Precious ResourceRiver: Protecting Our 5.3 Caring for Our 

learning project or design a service Adopt a service project • Research service projects for your class and school

• Design a science fair project on conservation• Do a service project Page 301

• Science in Personal and 

Social Perspectives

• Language Arts• Fine Arts

• Research serviceand choose one learning projects 
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A9: Bibliography | 339

A9: Bibliography

Bibliography

Books 

Adil, Janeen R. Natural Wonders: The Mississippi 

River. New York: Weigl Publishers Inc., 2004

Anfi nson, John. The River We Have Wrought: A 

History of the Upper Mississippi. Minnesota: Univ. 

of Minnesota Press, 2003

Ambrose, Stephen E and Douglas G. Brinkley. 

The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation. 

Washington, D.C.: National Geographic 

Society, 2002

Arbuthnot, May Hill and Shelton L. Root, Jr. 

Time for Poetry. Glenview: Scott, Foresman and 

Company, 1968

Benton-Banai, Edward. The Mishomis Book: The 

Voice of the Ojibway. Minneapolis: Univ. of 

Minnesota Press, 1988

Blashfi eld, Jean F. America the Beautiful: 

Wisconsin. New York: Children’s Press, 1998

Birmingham, Robert A. and Lynne G. Goldstein. 

Aztalan: Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town. 

Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2005

Castaldo, Nancy F. River Wild: An Activity Guide to 

North American Rivers. Chicago: Chicago Review 

Press, 2006

Chambers, Catherine. Mapping Earthforms: 

Rivers. Chicago: Reed Educational & Professional 

Publishing, 2000

Childcraft. Poems and Rhymes. The How and 

Why Library, Volume 1. Chicago: Field Enterprises 

Educational Corporation, 1976 

Chrisp, Peter. Atlas of Ancient Worlds. New York: 

DK, 2009

Daniel, Pete. Deep’n As it Come: The 1927 

Mississippi River Flood. New York: Oxford Univ. 

Press, 1977

Dott, Robert, Jr. and John Attig. Roadside Geology 

of Wisconsin. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press, 2008

Eyden, Pamela, Molly McGuire, and Reggie 

McLeod. Big River Reader: An Anthology of Stories 

about the Upper Mississippi, from the First Four 

Years of the Big River. Winona, MN: Big River, 1996

Fiedler, Julie. Learning About Food Chains and 

Food Webs with Graphic Organizers. New York: The 

Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2007

Flippo, Kathy. Between the Saints: Louis and Paul. 

A Towboat Travelogue on the Mississippi River. 

Florissant, MO: Little River Books, 1998

Fremling, Calvin R. Immortal River: The Upper 

Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Times. Madison: 

The University of Wisconsin Press, 2005

Gardner, Robert. Experimenting with Water. New 

York: Dover, 1993

Hewitt, Sally. Using Water. Canada: Crabtree 

Publishing Company, 2009

Hintz, Martin. America the Beautiful: Iowa. New 

York: Children’s Press, 2000

Hintz, Martin. America the Beautiful: Minnesota. 

New York: Children’s Press, 2000

Hintz, Martin. America the Beautiful: Missouri. New 

York: Children’s Press, 1999

Holland, Simon and Anna Lofthouse. Eye 

Wonder: Rivers and Lakes. New York: DK 

Publishing, Inc., 2003

Hume, Rob. Birdwatching. New York: Random 

House, 1992

Judson, Katherine B. Myths and Legends of the 

Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes. Amsterdam, 

The Netherlands: Fredonia Books, 2002. Reprinted 

from the 1915 ed.

Kukla, Jon. A Wilderness So Immense: The 

Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America. 

New York: Knopf, 2003

Larson, Ron. Upper Mississippi River History: 

Fact—Fiction—Legend. Winona, MN: Steamboat 

Press, 1998

Lund, Duane R. Our Historic Upper Mississippi. 

Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publishing, 1991

Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the 

Americas Before Columbus. New York: Vintage 

Books, 2006

McCall, Edith. Biography of a River: The Living 

Mississippi. New York: Walker Publishing, 

Inc., 1990

McGhee, Karen and George McKay. Encyclopedia 

of Animals. Washington DC: National Geographic 

Society, 2007

McKnight Foundation. The Mississippi River 

in the Upper Midwest: Its Economy, Ecology, 

and Management. Minneopolis: McKnight 

Foundation, 1996

Medina, Sarah. Real World Data: Graphing Water. 

Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2009

Meltzer, David J. First Peoples in a New World: 

Colonizing Ice Age America. Berkeley: Univ. of 

California Press, 2009
340 | A9: Bibliography | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 A9: Bibliography

Modern Earth Science: Small Scale Investigations. 

New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Morley, Jacqueline. Across America: The Story of 

Lewis & Clark. New York: Franklin Watts A Division 

of Grolier Publishing, 1998

Ojakangas, Richard W. Roadside Geology of 

Minnesota. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press, 2009

Packman, Chris et al., The Practical Naturalist. New 

York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2010

Pauketat, Timothy R. Cahokia: Ancient America's 

Great City on the Mississippi. New York: Penguin, 

2009

Petterchak, Janice. Taming the Upper Mississippi: 

My Turn at Watch, 1935-1999. William H. Klingner. 

Rochester, IL: Legacy Press, 2000

Pollock, Steven. Eyewitness Ecology. New York: DK 

Publishing, 2005

Rockman, Marcy and James Steele, Eds. 

Colonization of Unfamiliar Landscapes: The 

Archaeology of Adaptation. New York: 

Routledge, 2003

Rodes, Barbara K. and Rice Odell. A Dictionary of 

Environmental Quotations. Baltimore: The Johns 

Hopkins University Press, 1992

Santella, Andrew. America the Beautiful: Illinois. 

New York: Children’s Press, 1998

Severin, Timothy. Explorers of the Mississippi. 

London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1967

Theler, James L. and Robert F. Boszhardt. Twelve 

Millennia: Archaeology of the Upper Mississippi 

River Valley. Iowa City: Univ. of Iowa Press, 2003

Twain, Mark. Life on the Mississippi. Unabridged. 

Boston: Osgood & Co., 1883

Woodward, John. Eyewitness Climate Change. 

New York: DK Publishing, 2008

Magazines

Journal of the National Geographic Society. 

Special Issue Water: Our Thirsty World, 217, 

no. 4 (April 2010)

Videos

Scott, James. Confl uence: The River Heritage of 

St. Louis. St. Louis: Saint Louis University, 2004

Cahokia Mounds: Ancient Metropolis. Collinsville, 

IL: Camera One, 2008

Websites

American Land Conservancy: Mississippi River

www.alcnet.org/projects/overview/mississippi

American Indian Heritage Foundation

www.indians.org 

American Planning Association: Kids and 

Community

www.planning.org

Audubon Society

www.audubon.org

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

www.birds.cornell.edu

Corporation for National Community Service

www.serve.gov

EPA: (Environmental Protection Agency): 

Climate Change Kids Site

www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids

Surf Your Watershed. 

cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm

WaterSense Kids

www.epa.gov/watersense/kids/

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) 

for Kids 

www.fema.gov/kids

Friends of the Mississippi River

fmr.org/

Izaak Walton League of America

www.iwla.org

Learn and Serve America

www.learnandserve.gov

Library of Congress

www.loc.gov

Living Lands and Waters 

www.livinglandsandwaters.org

Mississippi River Wild

www.mississippiriverwild.com

Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University 

of Wisconsin - La Crosse 

www.uwlax.edu/mvac

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA)

www.nasa.gov 

National Flood Insurance Program 

www.fl oodsmart.gov

National Geographic: Genographic Project: Atlas of 

the Human Journey

genographic.nationalgeographic.com

National Geographic Kids

kids.nationalgeographic.com

National Geographic Xpeditions

www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A9: Bibliography | 341

National Geophysical Data Center 

ngdc.noaa.gov

National Great Rivers Museum

www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Rivers/museum.html

National Great Rivers Research and Education 

Center

www.ngrrec.org

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA)

www.noaa.org 

National Park Service: NPS: Mississippi National 

River and Recreation Area

nps.gov/miss

Archeology for Kids

www.nps.gov/archeology/PUBLIC/kids

National Service Learning 

www.servicelearning.org

National Youth Leadership Council

www.nylc.org

National Wildlife Federation

www.nwf.org

Nature Conservancy

www.nature.org 

PBS (Public Broadcasting Service)

www.pbs.org

Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary

www.mvs.usace.army.mil/rivers

Service Learning Partnership

www.service-learningpartnership.org

Sierra Club 

www.sierraclub.org

Smithsonian National Zoological Park's Migratory 

Bird Center

nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds

Steamboats.org

www.steamboats.org

Steamboat Times

www.steamboattimes.com

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

Bobber the Water Safety Dog

www.bobber.info

Kids and Nature

www.usace.army.mil/CECW/Operations/Pages/

kids_n_nature.aspx

Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability 

Program

http://www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/UMRS/NESP

Mississippi Valley Division

www.mvd.usace.army.mil

Mississippi River Commission

www.mvd.usace.army.mil/mrc

Water Safety

www.sas.usace.army.mil/wtrsafty.htm

Upper Mississippi River Navigation Charts

http://www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/NIC2/

mrcharts_omni.cfm

Upper Mississippi River Restoration

www.mvr.usace.army.mil/EMP

Underground Railroad Freedom Center 

www.freedomcenter.org

U.S. Coast Guard

www.uscg.mil

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: 

Educating for Conservation

www.fws.gov/educators

Endangered Species

www.fws.gov/endangered

National Wildlife Refuges

www.fws.gov/refuges

Neighborhood Explorers

www.fws.gov/neighborhoodexplorers

U.S. Geological Society (USGS): 

Science in Your Watershed 

water.usgs.gov/wsc

Water Science for Schools

ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watershed.html

Waterways Council, Inc.

www.waterways.org

Wildlife Conservation Society

www.wcs.org 

World Wildlife Fund

www.worldwildlife.org

A9: Bibliography
342 | A10: Image Credits | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 A10: Image Credits

Image Credits g

Illustrations 

Dan Selleck, 2 (otter, frog, dragdonfl y, pencil, pen, butterfl y), 40

Corrie Greening, 2 (duckling), 11, 17, 18, 45, 69, 74, 79 (trophic level), 82, 100, 111, 123, 125, 174, 175, 207, 230

Jerry Haase/Corrie Greening, 8, 44, 151, 153, 160, 167, 185, 203, 206, 253

Jerry Haase, 19, 51 

Von Glitschka, 34, 104, 108, 262-263 

Aleksandra Rozga, 78, 79 (food web), 177 

Dan Selleck/Jerry Haase, 114, 275, 306

Dan Selleck/Corrie Greening, 211

Jeff Dowell, 224

Photos 

Cover montage

Photo @ Jason Heller Photography (water background)

iStock (kids in kayak, pelican)

Photo © Alan D. Wilson/Courtesy of www.naturespicsonline.com (pelican)

Front Matter

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a, II

Bob Heim photo/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, II (towboat and barges)

Scott Bauer photo/U.S. Department of Agriculture, II (deer)

Map

Randy Kines, John C. Nelson photo/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Unit 1

Library of Congress, 9, 12

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 13, 25

National Park Service, 18 (1911 image)

Photo © Eric Neuman, 18 (2000 image)

Marie Naughton photos/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 21, 37

Beverly deGruyter photo/U.S. Forest Service, 24

D. Grigg photo/U.S. Geological Survey, 27 (eruption)

Photo © Siim Sepp, 27 (igneous rock; metamorphic rock)

Corrie Greening photos/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 27 (sediment), 29 (all), 33 (droplets), 35

Wouloper photo/Creative Commons license, 27 (sedimentary rock)

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service/Missouri, 32 (bluffs)

Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH, 42 (salmonella, E. coli)

Dartmouth Electron Microscope Facility, 42 (cholera bacteria)

www.Tonytextures.com, 43 (tree branch background)

Photo © Christine Karim, 43 (Lake Itasca)

Unit 2

Bogdan photo/Wikimedia Commons, 62, 63 (background)

George Gentry photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 64

www.free-3d-textures.com, 65 (bricks)

U.S. Geological Survey, 70

Photo © Ben Lowe, 71

Corrie Greening photo/Formations, Inc., 72 (magnifi er), 106 (glass), 111 (jar)
Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River | A10: Image Credits | 343

A10: Image Credits

Photo © Fir0003/Flagstaffotos, 72 (ant)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 72 (kids), 86 (girl), 88 (kids), 103 (kids), 122 (planting), 126 (girl)

George Cevera/Conserve Wildlife Foundation, 75 (osprey nest)

Stefan Reicheneder photo/Wikimedia Commons, 76 (mayfl y)

Photo © Fred Hayes, 76 (caddisfl y larvae)

Photo © Carl Koch/CEK Photography, 76 (leopard frog)

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 76 (catfi sh), 80 (brook trout illus by Duane Raver; fathead minnow illus by Duane 

Raver), 92 (avocet), 92 (sandhill crane), 93 (map), 102 (fl ying geese), 118 (sturgeon)

Photo © Alan D. Wilson/Courtesy of www.naturespicsonline.com, 80 (osprey), 92 (pelican), 92 (tundra swan), 

93 (snowgoose)

Dwight Harvey photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 80 (fairy shrimp)

Joost J. Bakker Ijmuiden photo/Creative Commons license, 81 (water)

Steve Hillebrand photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 84 (kids), 89 (waterfowl), 120 (carp)

Megan York-Harris photo/U.S. Forest Service, 86 (top left)

Wikimedia Commons, 86 (growing tadpole/frog images, top right)

Dave Menke photo/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 90 (pelicans)

Bios photo/Wikimedia Commons, 91 (compass)

Photo © Elaine R Wilson, 92 (barn swallow)

Laszlo Lengyel photo/Ohio Dept Natural Resources, 92 (butterfl y)

Lee R. Dehaan photo/Wikimedia Commons, 99 (bluebird)

J & K Hollingsworth photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 117 (butterfl y) 

Gary Kramer photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 117 (wolf)

Dave Moore photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 124

NASA, 125 (earth)

Bristol Resource Recovery Facility, 127 (bin)

Living Lands & Waters, 128 (Pegracke)

Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, 121 (logo)

Unit 3

Photo © Lithic Casting Lab, 134-135 (background)

Photo © Fritz Zimmerman/The Nephilim Chronicles: A Travel Guide to the Ancient Ruins in the Ohio Valley 

(2010), 137 (water)

Takomabibilot photo/Creative Commons license, 141

Josh McKinney photo/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 142 (Mayan calendar)

University of South Florida/clip art, 143 (abacus)

Scott Bauer photo/U.S. Department of Agriculture, 144

Library of Congress, 148 (painting),161 (map), 162 (top, de Soto), 164 (Ioway chief; Menominie warrior), 172 

(top right), 183 (top), 184 (bottom), 186 (bottom), 187 (top right, bottom left, middle), 198 (top), 202 (top, 

bottom), 204 (middle right), 209 (top left), 210 (bottom)

Michael Hampshire painting/Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, 149

Photo © Sean Ringey, 150

Photo © Great Lakes Lifeways Institute, 158

Petfalcon photo/Wikipedia; Raynor Memorial Library, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 159

Burfalcy photo/Wikimedia Commons, 160 (piasa bird)

Frank H. Zeitler, “Marquette and Jolliet Exploring the Upper Mississippi,” Wisconsin Historical Society, 162 

(middle, Marquette and Jolliet)

Library and Archives Canada, 162 (bottom, La Salle)

National Archives, 169

U.S. Army Center of Military History, 171

David Rumsey Map Collection, 172 (top left), 172-173 (background map), 182 (map)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 177 (canoe)

Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, 179, 180

Yale University manuscripts & Archives, 182 (Benet)

Courtesy of Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 184 (top)

Choctaw Nation Capital Museum (art by Gwen Coleman Lester), Tuskahoma, OK, 185 (bottom right)

Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures, Aurora University, 188
344 | A10: Image Credits | Our Mississippi: Educational Activities about the Upper Mississippi River

 A10: Image Credits

Corrie Greening photo/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 192

C. Bittner photo/ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 193 

Photo © Roger Kessler, 200

Minnesota Historical Society, 201 (Robert Hickman, top)

National Park Service, 201 (Frederick Douglass, bottom)

Courtesy of Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Libraries, 204 (bottom)

Unit 4

Library of Congress, 212 (background), 215 (bottom background), 227 (bottom left), 235 (background chart), 

239 (top), 247

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 213 (background), 218 (people), 220 (top right), 228 (top), 249 (bottom), 257, 

266, 267, 268, 272 (top), 273 (bottom), 278

Photo © Garry McMichael, 214 (barge captain)

Jack Dykinga photo/USDA Agricultural Research Service, 219 (top)

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 219 (middle left)

David Zalaznik/Journal Star, 219 (bottom)

Northern Illinois University, 229 (top)

Marie Naughton photos/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 232 (all), 233 (all), 239 (photo of Leathers, National 

Great Rivers Museum), 269 (all)

Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 236 (Maid of Orleans, Cape Girardeau), 237 (Golden Era), 

238 (top)

Kentucky Educational Television, 237 (top left)

www.steamboats.org, 237 (top right)

Project Gutenberg, 238 (bottom)

Wikimedia Commons, 240 (Watt)

Illustration by Panther/Wikimedia Commons, 243

Dave Thomson Collection, 241 (background), 246

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 245 (top images)

National Archives, 248, 252 (left)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration /Family of Captain Jack Sammons, C&GS, 250 (left)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/NWS La Crosse Archive, 250 (right)

U.S. Geological Survey, 249 (bottom left)

Todd Shea photo/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 251 (bottom middle)

Jessie Sanders photo/Creative Commons License, 251 (bottom right)

Steve Nicklas photo/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 252 (bottom right)

NASA Earth Observatory, 253 (bottom right and left)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service, 254 (bottom left)

Michael Rieger photo/Federal Emergency Management Administration, 260 (top)

George Stringham photo/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 261 (bottom)

Alan Dooley photo/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 262

National Waterways Foundation, 274, 275, 279

Unit 5

Photo © Jeff Dowell, 280, 281 (background)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 282 (bottom), 289 (girl), 290 (paddlers)

Library of Congress, 283 (background)

Mustang Survival, www.mustangsurvival.com, 290 (life jacket)

Mike Malak photo/Wikimedia Commons, 293

Photo © Bruce Couch, 295

Corrie Greening photo/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 297

Photo © Michael Pattullo, 299, 305 

Huron River Watershed Council, 301

Corporation for National & Community Service, 306 (booklet)